combination system implementation guide section 1
TRANSCRIPT
November 2015 2016-2017 COD Technical Reference Page III - 1 - 1 Volume III – Pell Grant, TEACH Grant & Direct Loan Combination System Supplement
Combination System
Implementation Guide
VOLUME III
SECTION
1
Table of Contents OVERVIEW .................................................................................................... 3
The Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005 (the HERA) ..................... 3 TEACH Grant ................................................................................................. 3 What it Means to be a Combination User........................................................ 4 Organization of this Guide .............................................................................. 5
ENHANCEMENTS AND CHANGES TO EDEXPRESS FOR 2016-2017 ... 6 Global .............................................................................................................. 6 Application Processing .................................................................................... 6 Packaging ........................................................................................................ 7 COD Setup ...................................................................................................... 8 Pell Grant ........................................................................................................ 8 Direct Loan ...................................................................................................... 8 TEACH Grant ................................................................................................12
BUSINESS RULES ..................................................................................... 13 2016-2017 COD Message Class Options .......................................................13 2016-2017 Updates to Valid Date Ranges .....................................................14 Direct Loan Fields Required for Origination .................................................15 Direct Loan Ancillary Services ......................................................................16 Direct Loan MPN, PLUS Credit Requirements Met, and Disclosure Statement
...................................................................................................................17
SYSTEM OPTIONS..................................................................................... 23 EDExpress for Windows ................................................................................23 Combination EDExpress/Custom System ......................................................24 Interface with Other Software Systems on Campus .......................................24 Benefits to Using EDExpress .........................................................................24 PC Requirements for EDExpress ...................................................................24
THE BASIC PROCESS FOR COMBINATION SYSTEMS .......................... 25
COMMON RECORD DOCUMENTS ........................................................... 27
This section contains general overview information and guidance for schools and other
agencies who use EDExpress in combination with third-party software or in-house systems
to exchange Federal Pell Grant, Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher
Education (TEACH) Grant, and William D. Ford Direct Loan program data with the COD System.
Combination System Implementation Guide
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Documents ..................................................................................................... 27 Combination System Message Classes .......................................................... 28
COMBINATION SYSTEM RECORD LAYOUTS ......................................... 29 Imports ........................................................................................................... 29 Pell External Imports ...................................................................................... 33 TEACH Grant External Imports .................................................................... 34 Direct Loan External Imports ......................................................................... 34 External Exports (Pell, TEACH, and Direct Loan) ........................................ 42 File Formats ................................................................................................... 43 The Query Function ....................................................................................... 45
COMBINATION SYSTEM EDITS ................................................................ 48 Example End-of-Entry Edits and Resolution Steps ........................................ 48
TEACH GRANT APPENDIX........................................................................ 53
TEACHER EDUCATION ASSISTANCE FOR COLLEGE AND HIGHER
EDUCATION GRANT .................................................................................. 53
EDEXPRESS SETUP REQUIREMENTS FOR THE TEACH GRANT ......... 55 COD Setup ..................................................................................................... 55 Security Groups Setup .................................................................................... 56 User Database Setup ...................................................................................... 56
ORIGINATION AND DISBURSEMENT ADD/CHANGE ............................ 57 CIP Code and Enrollment Status .................................................................... 57 Actual Disbursement Adjustments ................................................................. 57
AGREEMENT TO SERVE (ATS) ................................................................. 58
WHERE TO GET MORE INFORMATION ................................................... 59
Overview
November 2015 2016-2017 COD Technical Reference Page III - 1 - 3 Volume III – Pell Grant, TEACH Grant & Direct Loan Combination System Supplement
Overview Welcome to Volume III of the Common Origination and Disbursement
(COD) Technical Reference, written for users with Federal Pell Grant,
Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education
(TEACH) Grant, or William D. Ford Direct Loan systems used in
combination with EDExpress for Windows 2016-2017 (the free software
package provided by the U.S. Department of Education [ED]).
This volume of the COD Technical Reference provides guidance, edits,
and record layouts for using EDExpress 2016-2017 in combination with
your own system or vendor-provided software.
EDExpress users participate with the COD System to exchange and
process Pell Grant, Direct Loan, and other data. For more information
on participating with the COD System, be sure to read Volume II of the
2016-2017 COD Technical Reference.
Each volume of the 2016-2017 COD Technical Reference is available for
download from the ED’s Federal Student Aid Download (FSAdownload)
Web site located at fsadownload.ed.gov as well as the Information for
Financial Aid Professionals Web site (IFAP) located at ifap.ed.gov, as
needed.
The Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005 (the
HERA)
The Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005 (the HERA), Pub. L.
109-171, extended Federal Direct PLUS Loan (Direct PLUS) eligibility
to graduate or professional students beginning on or after July 1, 2006.
The HERA provision did not create a new loan program, but rather,
allows a new type of borrower—an eligible graduate or professional
student—to borrow under the existing Direct PLUS Loan Program.
TEACH Grant
Through the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 (CCRAA),
Congress created the TEACH Grant Program that provides grants of up
to $4,000 per year to students who intend to teach in a public or private
elementary or secondary school that serves students from low-income
families. Eligible undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students may
receive up to an aggregate limit of $16,000 and graduate students may
receive up to a graduate aggregate limit of $8,000 in TEACH Grants.
In exchange for receiving a TEACH Grant, students must agree to serve
as a full-time teacher in a high need field in a public or private
elementary or secondary school that serves low-income students.
Recipients must teach for at least four academic years within eight
calendar years of completing the program of study for which they
received a TEACH Grant. If they do not complete this service
obligation, all amounts of TEACH Grants received will be converted to a
Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan and interest charged from the
date the grants were disbursed.
In EDExpress, a Direct PLUS loan for
a graduate or professional student is referred to as a “Grad PLUS” loan.
Combination System Implementation Guide
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Before receiving a TEACH Grant, students must sign a TEACH Grant
Agreement to Serve (ATS) for each year in which a TEACH Grant is
awarded. The ATS explains the teaching service requirements that
students must meet in exchange for receiving a TEACH Grant, specifies
the conditions under which a TEACH Grant will be converted to a Direct
Unsubsidized Loan, and includes the agreement to repay the TEACH
Grant as a Direct Unsubsidized Loan, with interest accrued from the date
of each TEACH Grant disbursement. The ATS also provides
information on the terms and conditions associated with repaying a
TEACH Grant that is converted to a Direct Unsubsidized Loan.
For more information on EDExpress 2016-2017 functionality related to
the TEACH Grant, see the TEACH Grant Appendix at the end of this
section.
What it Means to be a Combination User
As a financial aid administrator (FAA) at a combination school, you are
aware of how complicated the entire financial aid process can be to
manage. The COD System improves the flow of financial aid processing
and can streamline the workload in your financial aid office.
The COD System continues to function using the basic process of
schools submitting records and receiving responses. You can use
EDExpress in combination with your mainframe or third-party software
to perform this task or part of this task with the COD System.
EDExpress continues to use flat American Standard Code for
Information Interchange (ASCII) files to communicate with your
external systems. You import flat ASCII files into EDExpress to load
Pell, TEACH Grant, and Direct Loan data. In turn, EDExpress exports
your data to the COD System in the required Extensible Markup
Language (XML) format.
After your data is processed, the COD System sends a response in XML
format that can be imported into EDExpress. You can then export the
information you need to your mainframe or third-party software from
EDExpress in the ASCII flat file format.
Schools planning to use EDExpress 2016-2017 to process Pell, TEACH
Grant, or Direct Loan data must be enrolled as a participant with the
COD System for the respective programs.
You only need to enroll as a participant for Pell, TEACH Grant, or
Direct Loan if you were not enrolled in the respective program in
2015-2016.
If you have any questions about enrolling with the COD System, contact
the COD School Relations Center at (800) 474-7268 for Grants or (800)
848-0978 for Direct Loans. You can also e-mail [email protected].
To keep your school database in synch with the COD System, we advise EDExpress users against originating Pell, TEACH Grant, or Direct Loan records online at the COD System. You should originate your records in EDExpress first, then submit the records to the COD System for processing.
Once your EDExpress origination records are accepted by the COD System, you can perform any additional online activities as needed on the COD Web site and minimize
the risk of conflicting data between your system and the COD System.
You must be enrolled for COD Online Services through Federal Student Aid’s Participation Management System to access the COD Web site (cod.ed.gov).
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Organization of this Guide
This Implementation Guide is a reference to assist school FAAs who use
EDExpress software in combination with their mainframe system or
third-party software to process Pell, TEACH Grant, and Direct Loan
data. This guide also assists schools in implementing changes for the
COD System for the 2016-2017 Award Year.
The following sections in Volume III contain pertinent combination
system information:
Section 2: Combination System Message Classes
Section 3: Combination System Record Layouts
Section 4: Combination System Edits
Combination System Implementation Guide
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Enhancements and Changes to
EDExpress for 2016-2017 The EDExpress 2016-2017 software conforms with annual changes to
the COD System, as well as to the Pell, TEACH Grant, and Direct Loan
programs. EDExpress provides a common setup feature for the Pell,
TEACH Grant, and Direct Loan programs. Separate Pell, TEACH
Grant, and Direct Loan origination and disbursement windows display
mutually exclusive data elements.
EDExpress Pell, TEACH Grant, and Direct Loan users are participants in
the COD process for 2016-2017. They send and receive origination and
disbursement data to and from the COD System using the Common
Record XML format.
If your school uses EDExpress in combination with another system for
some or all of your Pell, TEACH Grant, or Direct Loan processing, you
should ensure that system has been modified to accommodate updates to
fields and edits that are implemented within EDExpress for 2016-2017.
Refer to Volume III, Section 3: Combination System Record Layouts of
this technical reference for the most current Pell, TEACH Grant, and
Direct Loan Combination System record layouts used by EDExpress.
We have implemented a number of enhancements in EDExpress 2016-
2017. These enhancements are listed below by module and software
area.
Global
The following enhancements are available in EDExpress 2016-2017
Global functionality (applicable to all EDExpress modules):
Updated Cycle References and Message Classes – We updated
software labels, online help, reports, and other functionality
throughout EDExpress to reference the 2016-2017 cycle. Message
classes with cycle indicators are also updated for 2016-2017 in File
Management (Tools, Setup, Global, File Management) and in
various Import and Export dialog boxes throughout EDExpress.
Application Processing
The following enhancements are available in the EDExpress 2016-2017
Application Processing module:
ISIR Import
Modification to ISIR Import Updates to Student Eligibility Code
Field – We modified the ISIR import process to set the Student
Eligibility Code field on the Demo tab to 07 (GED or State
Authorized HS Equivalent Certificate) when the HS Diploma or
Equivalent value on the ISIR is 2 (GED/State Equivalent Test) and
the field is blank on the Demo tab. This enhancement reverses an
EDExpress 2015-2016 change that set the Student Eligibility Code to
blank in this scenario due to differing values on the COD System and
the CPS.
EDExpress 2016-2017, Release 1.0, scheduled for posting in January 2016, includes the Application Processing and Packaging modules, as well as Global functionality. Release 2.0, scheduled for posting in March 2016, adds the Pell, Direct Loan, and TEACH Grant modules.
For more information regarding
message classes used by the CPS in 2016-2017, see the Processing Codes section of the 2016-2017 EDE Technical Reference. For more information regarding COD System message classes used by EDExpress in 2016-2017, see Volume III, Section 2: Combination System Message Classes of this technical reference.
The student’s Title IV eligibility reason is a required data element on all Pell Grant, Direct Loan, and TEACH Grant records for students enrolling in a program of study on or after July 1, 2012. This eligibility information must indicate whether the student received a high school diploma, a GED certificate or the equivalent, or was home-schooled.
Enhancements and Changes to EDExpress for 2016-2017
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The ISIR import process continues to convert the HS Diploma or
Equivalent value of 1 (High School Diploma) to the Student
Eligibility Code of 06 (High School Diploma) and the HS Diploma
or Equivalent value of 3 (Home Schooled) to the Student Eligibility
Code of 04 (Home Schooled).
If the ISIR import function does not update the Student Eligibility
Code field, you must continue to use manual entry, Global multiple
entry, or the external origination add/change import options available
in the Direct Loan, Pell Grant, and TEACH Grant modules to update
the field before you can originate or save a loan or grant record for
the student.
ISIR View, Print, File Format, and Query
New and Modified ISIR Fields Available – New and modified data
elements on the 2016-2017 ISIR are printed on the EDExpress ISIR
report, appear on the ISIR Review tab and Apps Express Browse
grid, and are available for selection in App Express File Format and
Query setup.
ISIR Federal School Code Information Now Limited to
Recipient – ISIR transactions sent by the CPS now only include the
Federal School Code (and its associated housing plan) of the
destination point receiving the ISIR file, instead of including all
Federal School Codes in the order selected by the applicant. If you
are a servicer for more than one of the Federal School Code values
selected by a student for a specific ISIR transaction, you will receive
that transaction multiple times in the same ISIR file, the only
difference being the Federal School Code listed on each version of
the transaction.
As a result of this CPS change, we modified EDExpress 2016-2017,
Release 1.0 to enable the import of the same ISIR transaction
multiple times. Also, EDExpress now allows only one Federal
School Code to be printed on each copy of an ISIR; the selected code
is always printed in the School #1 position on the ISIR. The new
required School Code field on the App Express Print dialog box
(File, Print, App Express) indicates which Federal School Code
you want printed on the ISIR report.
NSLDS View and Print
New and Relabeled NSLDS Fields Available – New and modified
NSLDS data elements provided on the 2016-2017 ISIR can be
viewed on the NSLDS Financial Aid History dialog box (View,
NSLDS). You can also review NSLDS information for your
students by printing the NSLDS report (File, Print, App Express).
Packaging
No major changes or enhancements are planned currently for the
EDExpress Packaging module for 2016-2017.
See the 2016-2017 COD Technical Reference, Volume II, Section 1, for the valid Student Eligibility Code values you should use for the Demo tab field in EDExpress.
See the 2016-2017 ISIR Guide and the 2016-2017 Summary of Changes for the Application Processing System guide, available on the IFAP and FSAdownload Web sites, for
detailed information on changes to the ISIR and NSLDS data elements on the ISIR for 2016-2017.
Combination System Implementation Guide
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COD Setup
No major changes or enhancements are planned currently for COD Setup
(Tools, Setup, COD) for 2016-2017.
Pell Grant
No major changes or enhancements are planned currently for the
EDExpress Pell Grant module for 2016-2017.
Direct Loan
The following enhancements are available in the EDExpress 2016-2017,
Release 2.0 Direct Loan module:
Direct Loan Import
Credit Decision Override Response (CRCO) Removed from
Common Record Import Type – We modified the Direct Loan
Import dialog box (File, Import, Direct Loan) to remove the Credit
Decision Override Response message class (CRCO) from the COD
Common Record Response import type. Earlier in 2015, the COD
System discontinued the Credit Decision Override Response file type
for all award years, replacing it with the Credit Status Response
(CRCS17OP).
Credit Decision Replaced with Credit Requirements Met in
External Import Record Layouts – To align more effectively with
COD System changes implemented in spring 2015, we updated
credit-related end-of-entry edits and functionality applicable to
PLUS and Grad PLUS records in the Direct Loan module to
emphasize the use of the Credit Requirements Met field over the
Credit Decision field when determining a borrower’s eligibility to
receive actual disbursements.
As part of this update, we replaced the Credit Decision field with the
Credit Requirements Met field in the record layout for Direct Loan
External Import Loan Origination Add (DIEA17OP) import files. We
also reassigned the Credit Decision Indicator import change field
number (P010) to the Credit Requirement Met field for use in Direct
Loan External Import Change (DIEC17OP) files. These
enhancements enable you to update the Credit Requirements Met
field on multiple new or existing PLUS and Grad PLUS origination
records.
The Credit Requirements Met field indicates whether a PLUS or
Grad PLUS borrower has completed all necessary credit
requirements to receive actual disbursements for the loan. For PLUS
and Grad PLUS borrowers with adverse credit check results, these
requirements include either obtaining an approved endorser or
appealing the decision successfully by documenting extenuating
circumstances. PLUS and Grad PLUS borrowers with adverse credit
check results must also complete the PLUS Counseling process on
Federal Student Aid’s StudentLoans.gov Web site to receive actual
disbursements for the loan.
The Credit Decision field still exists in EDExpress 2016-2017, but is no longer taken into account by the software when determining if a PLUS
or Grad PLUS borrower is eligible to receive actual disbursements.
For more information, see “Direct Loan MPN, PLUS Credit Requirements Met, and Disclosure Statement” later in this section.
Enhancements and Changes to EDExpress for 2016-2017
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The COD System provides the latest Credit Requirements Met value
(which may overwrite values you add or modify in your external
import files) in the Credit Status Response (CRCS17OP), COD
Common Record Response (CRAA17OP), Web-Generated Response
(CRWB17OP), and PLUS Application Acknowledgment (CRSP17OP).
External Change Import Modified to Allow Adjustments to
Multiple Disbursement Fields in Same Sequence Number – In
response to October 2015 enhancements to the COD System, we
modified EDExpress 2016-2017 to enable you to adjust multiple
financial and non-financial Direct Loan actual disbursement data
elements in the same sequence number. Instead of requiring a
unique sequence number for each change, EDExpress now allows
you to correct the disbursement amount, disbursement date, Payment
Period Start Date, Enroll OPE ID, Enrollment Status, and CIP Code
for a Direct Loan actual disbursement in a single sequence number.
This change resulted in several updates to the process of using Direct
Loan External Import Change (DIEC17OP) files to modify existing
Direct Loan records in your database. Most prominently, you are no
longer required to include the Action Type (also known as
Disbursement Type) field in your external change file; this was a
single-character value that identified the single Direct Loan
disbursement data element you were adjusting in the sequence
number. Now that you can correct multiple data elements in the
same sequence number, this field is no longer needed by EDExpress.
We also reassigned import change field number D006 to a new field
called “Net Adjustment Amount?” If you are adjusting an actual
disbursement amount using the Action Amount field (D007) and you
set the “Net Adjustment Amount?” in your external change file to Y,
EDExpress interprets the value you provide in the Action Amount
field as the positive or negative adjustment to the prior sequence
number’s net disbursement amount.
Direct Loan Booking Warning Report Import Type Added – In
October 2015, the COD System replaced the 30-Day Warning
Report with the Direct Loan Booking Warning Report, which
provides expanded flexibility to Direct Loan users. In response, we
replaced the 30-Day Warning Report import type in the Direct Loan
Import dialog box (File, Import, Direct Loan) with a new import
type for the Direct Loan Booking Warning Report. The
preformatted version of the Direct Loan Booking Warning Report
used by EDExpress is sent under the same message class (DIWR17OP)
as the 30-Day Warning Report used previously.
Direct Loan Entry
Credit/PLUS App Info Sub-Tab and Disburse Tab Revisions
Emphasize Credit Requirements Met Field – To align more
effectively with COD System changes implemented in spring 2015,
we updated credit-related end-of-entry edits and functionality
applicable to PLUS and Grad PLUS records in the Direct Loan
module to emphasize the use of the Credit Requirements Met field
over the Credit Decision field when determining a borrower’s
eligibility to receive actual disbursements.
In October 2015, the COD System implemented an update allowing Direct Loan actual disbursement adjustments to multiple financial and non-financial data elements in the same disbursement sequence number. This change also applied to TEACH Grant actual disbursements. For more information, see the September 25, 2015 electronic
announcement posted to the IFAP Web site.
For more information on using Direct Loan External Import Change files to adjust actual disbursements, see “Direct Loan External Imports” later in this section.
If you prefer to provide the new total net disbursement amount in the Action Amount field (as opposed to the net positive or negative
adjustment to the prior net disbursement amount), omit the “Net Adjustment Amount?” field from your External Import Change file.
For more information on the Direct Loan Booking Warning Report, see Volume VI, Section 8: COD Reports of this technical reference.
Combination System Implementation Guide
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As part of this update, we made several changes to the Credit/PLUS
App Info sub-tab of the Origination (Direct Loan) tab and the
Disburse (Direct Loan) tab:
o We moved the Credit Requirements Met field from the
display-only grid to the top of the sub-tab and made it
modifiable. You can now set the Credit Requirements Met
field value manually, by using Direct Loan Multiple Entry,
or by importing a Direct Loan External Import Loan
Origination Add (DIEA17OP) or Direct Loan External Import
Change (DIEC17OP) file.
o We moved the Credit Decision field from the top of the sub-
tab to the display-only grid and made it a non-modifiable
field. We also removed the Credit Decision value of F
(Credit denied per COD Web site) from the software for
2016-2017.
o We removed the Credit Override Code from display-only
grid. The COD System no longer provides this field for
PLUS or Grad PLUS records.
o We replaced the display-only Credit Decision field at the
top of the Disburse tab with a display-only Credit
Requirements Met field, which reflects the current field
value for the PLUS or Grad PLUS loan from the
Credit/PLUS App Info sub-tab for quick reference.
Disburse Tab Redesigned to Simplify Adjustment Process – In
response to October 2015 enhancements to the COD System, we
modified EDExpress 2016-2017 to enable you to adjust multiple
financial and non-financial Direct Loan actual disbursement data
elements in the same sequence number. Instead of requiring a
unique sequence number for each change, EDExpress now allows
you to correct the disbursement amount, disbursement date, Payment
Period Start Date, Enroll OPE ID, Enrollment Status, and CIP Code
for a Direct Loan actual disbursement in a single sequence number.
In response to this change, we redesigned the top section of the
Disburse (Direct Loan) tab to simplify the entry of actual
disbursement adjustments:
o We relabeled the top section of the Disburse tab specific to
adjustment entry to “Actual Disbursement Changes.” In
prior cycles, this sub-section was labeled “Action.”
o We removed the Disbursement Type field from the Disburse
tab; EDExpress no longer requires that you identify the
individual actual disbursement data element you are
adjusting in a new disbursement sequence number.
o We added the new “Net Adjustment Amount?” field to the
Actual Disbursement Changes section of the tab; if you
select this checkbox, EDExpress considers the positive or
negative amount you provide in the Disbursement Amount
field as the adjustment to the net disbursement amount of the
prior disbursement sequence number.
Reminder! If you need to update
the Enrollment Status or CIP Code associated with an actual disbursement, you must change the field value on the Origination (Direct Loan) tab first. The new value is then included automatically on the new disbursement sequence number when you add your adjustment on the Disburse (Direct Loan) tab.
Enhancements and Changes to EDExpress for 2016-2017
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o After selecting the disbursement number you are updating in
the Actual Disbursement Changes section of the tab, you can
modify the disbursement amount, disbursement date, Enroll
OPE ID, and/or Payment Period Start Date. Clicking the
Add Disbursement button adds the modified values to the
grid as a new sequence number.
Multiple Entry Modified to Allow Adjustments to Multiple
Disbursement Fields in Same Sequence Number – As with the
manual entry and external import updates described earlier in this
section, we modified Direct Loan Multiple Entry (Process, Multiple
Entry, Direct Loan) to allow you to modify multiple actual
disbursement data elements in the same disbursement sequence
number. The enhancements to Direct Loan Multiple Entry include
the following updates:
o We removed the Disbursement Type field from the Direct
Loan Multiple Entry dialog box.
o We added the new “Net Adjustment Amount?” field; if you
select the checkbox for this field in the Direct Loan Multiple
Entry dialog box, EDExpress considers the positive or
negative amount you provide in the Disbursement Amount
field as the adjustment to the net disbursement amount of the
prior disbursement sequence number.
o We removed or modified data edits that prevented
adjustments to more than one actual disbursement data
element.
Direct Loan Data Edits
Modified PLUS and Grad PLUS End-of-Entry Edits – We
modified the conditions under which EDExpress generates Direct
Loan end-of entry edits 1050 and 3000 to reference the Credit
Requirements Met field only. Both edits are specific to PLUS and
Grad PLUS loans.
End-of-Entry Edits Modified for Actual Disbursement
Adjustments – We revised Direct Loan end-of-entry edits associated
with adding Direct Loan actual disbursement adjustments to
EDExpress to enable you to adjust multiple disbursement data
elements in the same sequence number. These enhancements
include revisions to the condition, message, or other aspects of edits
1215, 1220, 3042, and 3050.
We also deleted Direct Loan end-of-entry edits from prior cycles that
checked for specific disbursement type values with each adjustment
or required that actual disbursement adjustments be limited to one
data element per sequence number. These deletions included edits
3051, 3060, 3070, 3075, 3076, 3077, and 3078.
Reminder! To adjust actual disbursements using Direct Loan Multiple Entry, select the Disbursement Number field on the initial dialog box, choose the disbursement number you want to adjust in the Value column, apply
selection criteria as needed, and click OK. A subsequent dialog box is displayed listing the applicable disbursement record(s), which you can use to adjust the disbursement amount, disbursement date, Enroll OPE ID, and Payment Period Start Date for the new sequence number.
Refer to Volume III, Section 4: Combination System Edits of this technical reference for more information on Direct Loan end-of-entry edits in EDExpress 2016-2017.
Combination System Implementation Guide
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Direct Loan Print, Browse, File Format, and Query
PLUS and Grad PLUS Disclosure Statement Print Requirements
Updated to Check Credit Requirements Met Value – To print a
disclosure statement from EDExpress for a PLUS or Grad PLUS
loan, the record must now have a Credit Requirements Met value of
Yes in addition to other existing criteria. We no longer require or
check for a specific Credit Decision value. Select File, Print, Direct
Loan to select the PLUS or Grad PLUS Disclosure Statement report
type for printing.
Credit Decision Replaced with Credit Requirements Met on
Reports – The Direct Loan List-Loans and List-Status reports now
print the current Credit Requirements Met value for PLUS and Grad
PLUS records, rather than the current Credit Decision value. The
Credit Decision value is no longer taken into consideration by
EDExpress when determining if a PLUS or Grad PLUS borrower has
met all credit-related requirements to receive actual disbursements
for the loan.
Disbursement Type Field Removed from Direct Loan Functions
– We removed the Disbursement Type field from multiple Direct
Loan list and reports, as well as other Direct Loan functionality such
as Query, File Formats setup, and Browse. The Disbursement Type
field was used in prior versions of EDExpress to identify which
actual disbursement data element was being corrected in a new
sequence number.
TEACH Grant
See the TEACH Grant Appendix at the end of this document for
information on enhancements to the TEACH Grant module in
EDExpress 2016-2017.
Business Rules
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Business Rules The following issues may affect your combination system:
2016-2017 COD Message Class Options
2016-2017 Updates to Valid Date Ranges
Direct Loan Fields Required for Origination
Direct Loan Ancillary Services (for example, where to mail an MPN)
Direct Loan MPN, PLUS Credit Decision, and Disclosure Statement
2016-2017 COD Message Class Options
The COD System provides various message class options for sending
and receiving Common Record data to and from the COD System. The
2016-2017 Common Record Message class options include:
Non-program-specific and non-award year-specific (COMRECIN and
COMRECOP)
Award year-specific and non-program-specific (Option selected by
EDExpress)
Program-specific and non-award year-specific
Award year-specific and program year-specific
EDExpress 2016-2017 is using the award year-specific message class
option for sending and receiving Common Record data for Pell, TEACH
Grant, and Direct Loan. These message classes are:
2016-2017
Message Class
Data Description
CRAA17IN COD Common Record data sent to the COD System from EDExpress
CRAA17OP COD Response from the COD System to EDExpress
CRRC17OP COD Receipt from the COD System to EDExpress
The award year-specific message class option provides you the
advantage of viewing the award year of the data within the Common
Record file before importing the file into EDExpress. EDExpress is not
using the options for program specific message classes.
In addition, the COD System sends all Web-generated and system-
generated transactions, such as a Pell negative disbursement or a Direct
Loan MPN response, to all schools in award year-specific message
classes.
All message classes used by EDExpress 2016-2017 are outlined for you in Volume III, Section 2: Combination System Message Classes of this technical reference.
All COD message classes are outlined in Volume II, Section 2: COD Message Classes of this technical reference.
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2016-2017 Updates to Valid Date Ranges
Valid date ranges for Pell, TEACH Grant, and Direct Loan processing
are updated for the 2016-2017 processing cycle. These updates affect
EDExpress edits and valid field content. Below is the listing of updated
2016-2017 date ranges.
* Important Note: EDExpress allows you to adjust the Loan Period
Start Date or End Date associated with a loan to be after June 30, 2017 or
before July 1, 2016, respectively, if the loan’s Origination Status is A
(Accepted by COD) or B (Batched to send to COD).
Pell Grant TEACH
Grant
Direct
Loan
Data Element Date Range
Enrollment Date 01/01/2016 to 06/30/2017
Payment Period Start Date 01/01/2016 to 06/30/2017
Disbursement Date 01/01/2016 to 09/30/2022
Note: Although EDExpress accepts any date on or after
01/01/2016, the valid 2016-2017 date range for Pell Grant disbursement
records is from the date the 2016-2017 Pell schedules
are posted on the IFAP Web site (ifap.ed.gov) to
09/30/2022.
Award Begin Date 06/30/2017 or earlier*
Award End Date 07/01/2016 or later*
Academic Year Start Date 06/30/2017 or earlier
Academic Year End Date 07/01/2016 or later
Disbursement Date 06/21/2013 to 12/28/2020
Date of Birth 01/01/1917 to 12/31/2008
Enrollment Date 01/01/2016 or later
Payment Period Start Date 01/01/2016 or later
Disbursement Date 01/01/2016 or later
Business Rules
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Direct Loan Fields Required for Origination
Certain data must be present on a Direct Loan record before it can be
originated in EDExpress. Saving (but not originating) a loan record
without all of these fields may be possible.
Field Name
Required for
Origination of a
PLUS
Required for
Origination of a
Grad PLUS
Required for
Origination of a
Sub/Unsub
Student’s Last Name , if borrower’s First Name is blank
, if student’s First Name is blank
, if student’s First Name is blank
Student’s First Name , if borrower’s Last Name is blank
, if student’s Last Name is blank
, if student’s Last Name is blank
Student’s Permanent City
Student’s Permanent State
Student’s Permanent Zip Code
Student’s Current SSN
Original SSN
Student’s Date of Birth
Student’s Citizenship Status
Dependency Status
Student Eligibility Code
CPS Transaction #
School Code
Loan Enroll OPE ID
Loan ID
Loan Amount Approved
Disbursement Profile Code*
College Grade Level
Loan Period End Date
Loan Period Start Date
Academic Year End Date
Academic Year Start Date
Student’s Loan Default/Grant Overpayment
Borrower’s Loan Default/Grant Overpayment
Borrower’s Date of Birth
Borrower’s Permanent State
Borrower’s Current SSN
Borrower’s Permanent City
Borrower’s Permanent ZIP Code
Borrower’s First Name , if student’s First Name is blank
Borrower’s Last Name , if student’s Last Name is blank
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* Note: See “Importing Disbursement Profiles into EDExpress” later in
this guide for more information on how you can use disbursement profile
codes to define the anticipated disbursement information required to
originate loan records in EDExpress.
Direct Loan Ancillary Services
Borrowers of Direct Subsidized, Unsubsidized, PLUS, and Grad PLUS
loans can complete a paper MPN or an electronic MPN at
StudentLoans.gov. If a borrower completes the electronic MPN, an
MPN Response (CRPN17OP) is sent to the appropriate school. If a
borrower completes a paper MPN, the MPN can be mailed directly to the
COD System or returned to the school to forward to the COD System.
The COD System must receive and accept the MPN before the loan is
booked.
Hardcopy MPNs mailed to the COD System by the school must be
accompanied by a paper manifest that lists the borrower’s name and
MPN Identification (ID) for each MPN in the shipment. The paper
manifest also provides a certification to be signed by an official at the
school.
For 2016-2017, schools continue to send batches of MPNs with paper
shipping manifests to the following addresses:
Regular Mail
US Department of Education
P.O. Box 5692
Montgomery, AL 36103-5692
1-800-848-0978
Overnight Delivery
US Department of Education
100 Capitol Commerce Center Blvd.
Suite 160
Montgomery, AL 36117
Field Name
Required for
Origination of a
PLUS
Required for
Origination of a
Grad PLUS
Required for
Origination of a
Sub/Unsub
Borrower’s Citizenship Status
Published Program Length
Special Programs
Program Credential Level
Weeks Academic Program Year , if Published Program Length is measured in weeks
or months OR if Special Programs field value = P
, if Published Program Length is measured in weeks
or months OR if Special Programs field value = P
, if Published Program Length is measured in weeks
or months OR if Special Programs field value = P
CIP Code
Enrollment Status
Business Rules
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MPNs for subsidized and unsubsidized loans, MPNs for PLUS loans, and
MPNs for Grad PLUS loans must be batched separately and a separate
paper manifest created for each. Each document can contain up to 100
notes. Additionally, separate documents (manifests) must be created for
each Direct Loan school code. The MPN Manifest option is available
through the EDExpress Print process.
After a batch of MPNs is received in the mailroom, the notes are
manually inspected for missing or incorrect information. A generic
checklist is used. If there are errors or information is missing, the
checklist is marked in the appropriate blank describing the error that
needs to be corrected. The checklist and MPN are returned to the school
or borrower, whichever is appropriate. If a note is rejected, a new MPN
must be printed with the corrected data and resubmitted to the COD
System.
After an MPN is processed by the COD System, you receive an MPN
Response that includes the MPN status and can be used to update
EDExpress.
Direct Loan MPN, PLUS Credit Requirements Met, and
Disclosure Statement
This section describes the EDExpress processes regarding Direct Loan
MPNs, as well as the PLUS Credit Requirements Met field and the
disclosure statement.
The same Direct PLUS MPN form is used for both Grad PLUS and
PLUS loans. You should ensure that you are using the most recent
version of the Direct Loan PLUS MPN. When you select the report type
to print, the following statements print in Section A:
Report Type Printed Statement
MPN-PLUS I am a Parent of a Dependent Undergraduate Student
MPN-Grad PLUS I am a Graduate or Professional Student
Determining the MPN Status for Subsidized and
Unsubsidized Loans When Using the Multi-Year MPN
Feature
For subsidized and unsubsidized loans processed using the multi-year
feature, determining the MPN status is a two-step decision-making
process within EDExpress.
First, EDExpress checks for other existing originated subsidized or
unsubsidized loans for the student. When another loan exists within
EDExpress for a student, EDExpress reviews the MPN status of the
existing loan.
More information on MPN processing can be found in Volume II: Common Record Technical Reference.
MPNs, MPN Manifests, credit status information, and disclosure statements for Grad PLUS loans are processed following the same rules and guidelines as PLUS loans for parent borrowers.
Refer to the Implementation Guide found in Volume II: Common Record Technical Reference for complete details regarding Direct Loan Master Promissory Notes.
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IF… THEN…
The MPN status of the existing loan indicates a valid MPN exists or assumes
a valid MPN exists (A, P, S, M, or T)
EDExpress updates the MPN status of the originating loan to
T, assumes a valid MPN exists
The MPN status of the existing loan indicates no valid MPN exists (R, N, I, E, or C)
EDExpress sets the MPN status of the originating loan to R, ready to print, and a new MPN can be printed
EDExpress MPN Statuses: N: Not ready to print (Sub/Unsub only), R: Ready to
print, P: Printed or request to print sent to COD, S: Signed & returned (available when
current value is P), M: Manifested, A: MPN Accepted by COD, X: MPN Pending, T:
Assumes MPN Exists (available when current value is N, R, P, S, or M), I: Inactive ,
E: Inactive/Endorser, C: Closed
When no other loans for a student exist within EDExpress, EDExpress
reviews the ISIR Direct Loan MPN flags if ISIRs were imported into
EDExpress.
IF… THEN…
The ISIR Direct Loan MPN flag indicates an active MPN at the COD System (A)
EDExpress updates the MPN of the originating loan to T, assumes a valid MPN exists
The ISIR Direct Loan MPN flag is blank or indicates no valid MPN (I, E, C, N, or U)
EDExpress sets the MPN status of the originating loan to R, ready to print, and a new MPN can be printed
ISIR Direct Loan MPN Flag: A: Active, I: Inactive, E: Inactive/Endorser, C:
Closed, N: None or Unavailable, or U: Updated
Determining the MPN Status for PLUS Loans When Using
the Multi-Year MPN Feature
For PLUS and Grad PLUS loans processed using the multi-year feature,
a school can set the MPN status to T either manually or through multiple
entry in EDExpress. The MPN status of T is used to indicate you assume
an MPN is on file at the COD System for the borrower. When the MPN
status is set to T, EDExpress does not require the printing of an MPN for
that PLUS or Grad PLUS loan. Importing the COD Response for an
accepted PLUS or Grad PLUS loan updates EDExpress with the MPN
status on file at the COD System.
Single-Year MPN Feature
The single-year feature is available to all schools and requires that a new
MPN must be completed by a borrower for each academic year. All
schools not eligible to process MPNs using the multi-year feature must
use the single-year feature. Schools eligible for the multi-year feature
can opt to process MPNs using the single-year feature. The school’s
processing feature is updated in EDExpress setup and on the COD
System Web site.
A single-year school must use an MPN generated at or for that school
only. A single-year school can link multiple loans for the same academic
year, for the same student, to the same MPN. The academic year start
and academic year end dates must be the same on all loan records linked
to a specific MPN.
Business Rules
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An MPN link indicator for subsidized/unsubsidized/PLUS/Grad PLUS
loans is found on the Response. If the loan record has been linked to an
MPN at the COD System, the MPN link indicator contains a Y. Loan
records not linked to an MPN on file at the COD System have an N in the
MPN link indicator field.
Determining the MPN Status When Using the Single-Year
MPN Feature
When processing loans using the single-year feature, EDExpress looks
for other originated loans for the student with the same academic year
within EDExpress to determine the MPN status.
IF… THEN…
No other loans exist for this student within EDExpress
EDExpress sets the MPN status of the originating loan to R, ready to print and a new MPN
can be printed
Another loan exists and the academic year start and end dates do not match the loan being originated
EDExpress sets the MPN status of the originating loan to R, ready to print and a new MPN can be printed
Another loan exists and the academic year start and end dates match the loan being originated, EDExpress reviews the MPN status of the existing loan:
If the MPN status of the existing loan indicates a valid MPN exists or assumes a valid MPN exists (A, P, S, M, or T)
EDExpress updates the MPN status of the originating loan to T and assumes a valid MPN exists
If the MPN status of the existing loan indicates no valid MPN exists (R, N, I, E, or C)
EDExpress sets the MPN status of the originating loan to R, ready to print, and a new MPN can be printed
N: Not ready to print (sub/unsub only), R: Ready to print, P: Printed or request to
print sent to COD, S: Signed & returned (available when current value is P), M:
Manifested, A: MPN Accepted by COD, X: MPN Pending, T: Assumes MPN Exists
(available when current value is N, R, P, S, or M), I: Inactive, E: Inactive/Endorser,
C: Closed
Single-Loan MPN Feature
The single-loan MPN is an MPN linked to a PLUS or Grad PLUS loan
that is accepted with an eligible endorser who has an approved credit
decision. After an endorser is associated with a PLUS or Grad PLUS
loan, the MPN linked to that PLUS or Grad PLUS loan cannot be linked
to any other loans even if the school uses the multi-year MPN feature.
The MPN status for a single-loan MPN is determined by the COD
System.
When a PLUS or Grad PLUS loan with an endorser is linked to an MPN,
the COD System returns an MPN status of inactive on the Response.
After the single-loan MPN is established, it becomes an inactive MPN
and no other loans can be linked to that same MPN. In addition, all other
pending or active PLUS MPNs for the borrower become inactive at the
COD System. Future ISIRs display an MPN status of inactive and a new
For schools implementing single-year functionality the ISIR Direct Loan MPN flag is not used in the process to determine if a new MPN should be printed since a previous year’s MPN is not relevant.
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MPN must be completed if the borrower wants to borrow a subsequent
PLUS loan.
Importing the MPN Status from the COD System
Both the Common Record Response (CRAA17OP) and the MPN Response
(CRPN17OP) can contain the MPN status determined by the COD System
for a loan record. When the loan is accepted by the COD System, the
COD System links the loan to an existing MPN, if possible.
Upon import of the Common Record Response (CRAA17OP), EDExpress
updates the MPN status of a loan record according to the following logic:
* Note: Upon import of a Common Record Response with a COD System MPN
Status of R or P, the EDExpress loan record’s MPN status is updated to R only if the
loan record’s existing MPN Status is T. If the EDExpress MPN Status is a value other
than T, the record is not updated as a result of importing a Common Record Response with a COD System MPN Status of R or P.
Upon import of the MPN Response (CRPN17OP), EDExpress updates the
MPN status of a loan as follows:
* Note: When importing an MPN Response with a COD System MPN Status of R,
the EDExpress loan record’s MPN status is updated to R only if the loan record’s
existing MPN Status is M or T. When importing an MPN Response with a COD
IF
The COD System’s MPN
Status Imported is:
AND
EDExpress MPN
Status is:
THEN
EDExpress Updates to:
A = Accepted MPN at the
COD System
Any MPN status A = Accepted by the
COD System
R = No Valid MPN on File at COD
T = MPN Exists * R = Ready to print
P = Pending MPN at the COD System
T = MPN Exists * R = Ready to print
C = Closed MPN at the COD System
Any MPN status C = Closed MPN
I = Inactive MPN at the COD System
Any MPN status I = Inactive MPN
E = Inactive due to an Endorser at the COD System
Any MPN status E = Inactive/Endorser MPN
IF
The COD System’s MPN
Status Imported is:
AND
EDExpress MPN
Status is:
THEN
EDExpress Updates to:
A = Accepted MPN at the COD System
Any MPN status A = Accepted by the COD System
R = No Valid MPN on File at COD
M = Manifested * or T = MPN Exists *
R = Ready to print
P= Pending MPN at the COD System
M = Manifested *
X = Pending at the COD System
C = Closed MPN at the COD System
Any MPN status C = Closed MPN
I = Inactive MPN at the COD System
Any MPN status I = Inactive MPN
E = Inactive due to an Endorser at the COD System
Any MPN status E = Inactive/Endorser MPN
Business Rules
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System MPN Status of P, the EDExpress loan record’s MPN status is updated to X
only if the loan record’s existing MPN Status is M.
Valid MPN
An open MPN is valid for up to ten years from the date the MPN is
received by the COD System if at least one actual disbursement is made
within a year from the date the COD System received the MPN and the
borrower has not closed the note.
The MPN Expiration Date is returned in the Common Record Response
file (CRAA17OP) or the MPN Response file (CRPN17OP) by the COD
System. When the MPN Expiration Date exists in the imported response
file, EDExpress displays the date on the Direct Loan Origination tab in
the MPN Information section of the Loan Info tab.
To close an MPN, a borrower must send a written request to the servicer
or to the school. If the closed notification is received at the school, the
school must forward the original documentation to the COD School
Relations Center. Upon receipt of a written request, the COD System
manually closes the MPN and sends a confirmation letter to the
borrower. After an MPN has been closed, no new loans can be linked to
it. Loans that are already linked to a closed MPN can continue to use
that MPN for disbursement processing. A new MPN must be generated
if new loans are to be originated. When a loan is processed by the COD
System and all MPNs for the borrower on file at the COD System are
closed, an MPN status of R (MPN not on file) is returned in the Response
to the school.
PLUS Credit Requirements Met
You can perform a credit check for a PLUS loan for a parent borrower or
a Grad PLUS borrower on the COD Web site. If the borrower passes the
online credit check, you can enter a Credit Requirements Met value of
True in EDExpress on the Credit/PLUS App Info sub-tab of the
Origination (Direct Loan) tab. You can also record the date you
performed the credit check in the Credit Decision Date field.
When importing a Common Record Response (CRAA17OP) for a PLUS or
Grad PLUS loan, the Credit Requirements Met value for the loan is
updated in EDExpress. A PLUS or Grad PLUS loan is not linked to an
MPN until the borrower has a Credit Requirements Met value of True.
When a PLUS or Grad PLUS borrower fails a credit check and appeals
the results by documenting extenuating circumstances or submitting an
Endorser Addendum, a Credit Status Response (CRCS17OP) is generated
by the COD System to indicate whether the borrower has met credit
requirements, including the completion of PLUS counseling on the
StudentLoans.gov Web site.
If at least one actual disbursement is not made on any of the loans linked to an MPN within twelve months, the MPN becomes inactive in the COD System.
New for 2016-2017! The Credit Decision value is no longer taken into
consideration by EDExpress when determining if a PLUS or Grad PLUS borrower has met all credit-related requirements to receive actual disbursements. EDExpress now only checks to ensure the Credit Requirements Met value is True.
The Credit Requirements Met field helps you determine if a PLUS or Grad PLUS borrower has completed all necessary credit-related requirements to receive an actual disbursement; for borrowers with adverse credit check results, this
includes either obtaining an approved endorser or appealing the decision successfully by documenting extenuating circumstances, as well as completing the PLUS Counseling process on StudentLoans.gov.
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Valid values for the Credit Requirements Met field are True or blank
(False). You should monitor the Credit Requirements Met (in
combination with other field values displayed on the Credit/PLUS App
Info sub-tab) to determine if and when the borrower has completed all
necessary steps to receive actual loan disbursements for the PLUS or
Grad PLUS loan.
In EDExpress 2016-2017, a PLUS or Grad PLUS loan must have a
Credit Requirements Met value of True to be eligible for actual
disbursements.
When the COD System sets the Credit Requirements Met value to True,
it attempts to link the PLUS or Grad PLUS loan to an MPN. If the loan
is linked to an MPN, an MPN Response (CRPN17OP) is generated to
communicate the updated MPN status. Upon importing the MPN
Response file, EDExpress updates the MPN status for the PLUS or Grad
PLUS loan.
Generating Disclosure Statements
Disclosure Statements are required for all loan types (subsidized,
unsubsidized, PLUS, and Grad PLUS loans) and can be printed by the
COD System or a school.
EDExpress provides the capability to print Disclosure Statements for
subsidized, unsubsidized, PLUS, and Grad PLUS loans. When the
school prints a Disclosure Statement, the disclosure statement print
indicator value of O = Onsite (school prints) within EDExpress is
translated to a disclosure statement print code of S (school prints and
sends to borrower) in the Common Record export file that you send to
the COD System.
The Credit Requirements Met field is also provided in the Common Record Response (CRAA17OP), Web-Generated Response (CRWB17OP), and PLUS Application Acknowledgment (CRSP17OP).
Generating Disclosure
Statements
Refer to the Implementation Guide found in Volume II: Common Record Technical Reference for more information.
System Options
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System Options To help you decide how best to incorporate EDExpress, consider the
following questions.
Grant and Loan Volume
How large is the grant and loan volume at your school?
Available Resources
How much of the following resources are available: staff, data processing resources, equipment, and money?
Existing Systems What existing systems are in place and how easy are they to integrate?
Time Constraints Is there enough time available to develop a system?
Campus Communications
Are there existing means of communication between offices involved in the Direct Loan Program or the Federal Grants Programs? (These offices could include financial aid and bursars.)
ED gives you maximum flexibility in fashioning a system solution that
best meets your school’s needs. As a combination school, you should
consider the following options.
EDExpress for Windows
EDExpress is a comprehensive financial aid management system
provided at no cost by ED.
The system is student-based and enables you to process federal
application data, including loading and printing Institutional Student
Information Records (ISIRs) received electronically from the CPS ISIR
Datamart and viewing and correcting individual ISIRs through FAA
Access to CPS Online.
It also computes student award packages, maintains funds, tracks file
documents, generates reports, establishes Pell, TEACH Grant, and Direct
Loan origination records, prints MPNs, and manages and reports Pell,
TEACH Grant, and Direct Loan disbursement data.
EDExpress supports all the necessary tasks required to participate in the
Pell Grant and Direct Loan programs, as well as the TEACH Grant
Program established by the CCRAA. Schools using this software can
refer to the Desk References and or the EDExpress Help system for
assistance.
The EDExpress software and its associated user documentation are
available for download from fsadownload.ed.gov.
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Combination EDExpress/Custom System
You can use any of the processing functions provided by EDExpress in
conjunction with external systems or software from another vendor.
EDExpress enables you to import data captured in other on-campus
systems (for example, a financial aid packaging system). You can also
export data needed by other on-campus systems (such as the school’s
business office) from the EDExpress database.
Interface with Other Software Systems on Campus
Your other school computer systems used for registration or accounting
are potential providers of data to EDExpress. EDExpress is designed to
import data captured in other systems and reformatted according to
specifications provided in this technical reference. Likewise, data in
EDExpress can be exported for use in other on-campus systems.
Benefits to Using EDExpress
If you currently use another system for Pell, TEACH Grant, and Direct
Loan processing, consider that EDExpress 2016-2017:
Is fully XML-compliant, allowing you to exchange data with the
COD System
Automatically translates flat files you import from your mainframe
or third-party software and creates export files you can transmit to
the COD System
Can automatically convert XML records from the COD System to
flat ASCII format, which you can then export for import into your
mainframe or another system on campus
Offers a powerful, structured query language (SQL)-based query
function for extracting data
Offers a user-friendly Windows interface
Is proven to work well in combination with mainframe systems
Is backed by expert technical support
PC Requirements for EDExpress
For PC requirements, see the Installation Guide for EDExpress (year
specific), available on fsadownload.ed.gov, or contact CPS/SAIG
Technical Support at [email protected] or
(800) 330-5947
(800) 511-5806 (TDD/TTY)
The Basic Process for Combination Systems
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The Basic Process for Combination
Systems As you review your processing methods and current use of EDExpress,
or if you are considering using EDExpress, ask these questions:
What is the source of my data?
How will I synchronize updates to the data between EDExpress and
the mainframe or my other financial aid management software?
How will I synchronize updates to the data my office shares with
other offices on campus?
Every combination school’s processing environment is unique. As a
simple example, the steps for processing Pell, TEACH Grant, and Direct
Loan records with EDExpress and the COD System in a combination
system environment could be similar to these:
1. In EDExpress, import an ASCII file of records from the mainframe
using the Import External Add function.
2. Update records in EDExpress by importing an ASCII file from the
mainframe using the Import External Change function.
3. For Direct Loan, create or verify MPNs if needed. These MPN
statuses can come from the External Add or Change files.
4. Export the information from EDExpress (data is automatically
translated to XML format) to the COD System for origination
through the Student Aid Internet Gateway (SAIG).
5. Receive Common Records Receipts and Responses from the COD
System through the SAIG.
For Common Record Responses processed by the COD System and
received through the SAIG mailbox, schools can receive a Full or
Standard Response. However, EDExpress always requests and
receives Full Responses from the COD System. A Full Response
contains all the original tags sent by the school and the rejected data
elements and reason codes. A Standard Response contains only the
rejected data elements and reason codes.
The request that EDExpress sends in the Common Record for a Full
Response overrides the school’s option set on the COD System’s
Web site. For example: If you set your school option to receive
Standard Response and you send your data to the COD System using
EDExpress, the COD System returns a Full Response.
6. Import the Receipts and Responses into EDExpress.
7. If the originations and MPNs were submitted successfully and
accepted, disburse funds to the students.
The COD System sends one Response document for each Common Record document submitted.
Web-Generated Responses
All Web-generated Responses are Full Responses.
Records, Layouts, and
Processes
For further information, see Volume II: Common Record Technical Reference.
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8. Use the Query function in EDExpress to extract student information
from the records and print the information to a file for the bursar’s
office.
9. Export the updated records to an ASCII file from EDExpress using
the Export External function.
10. Load the file of updated records to your mainframe or third-party
software.
11. Make corrections to the student records as needed.
The Pell External Import Change process and the TEACH Grant External Import Change process only
require those fields that are to be modified and a few key fields to be imported into EDExpress. Any fields not modified are to be submitted as filler. The External Add/Change Record Layout allows filler in any non-modified field. For more information, refer to Volume III, Section 3: Combination System Record Layouts of this technical reference.
Common Record Documents
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Common Record Documents
Documents
The origination and disbursement process begins when a participant in
the COD System submits a Common Record to the COD System. For
the 2016-2017 Award Year, the Common Record is submitted in one of
two ways:
Document submission
Online submission using the COD System’s Web site
EDExpress, in combination with EDconnect and the SAIG, enables users
to participate in the COD System using the document submission
process.
Common Record Document Submission
All Common Record documents are submitted to the COD System’s
SAIG mailbox. The Enterprise Application Integration Bus (EAI Bus)
performs periodic data pickups from the COD System’s SAIG mailbox
and transmits the Common Record data to the COD System.
EDExpress continues to export Pell, TEACH Grant, and Direct Loan
files with document headers and trailers. The document header contains
a Document ID that is unique to the export document.
The Document Integrity Rule
EDExpress requires document integrity. As a result, the COD System
returns a corresponding response document for every Pell, TEACH
Grant, or Direct Loan record submitted in a single document by the
school. If a school submits a document with 1,000 Pell records, the COD
System returns a response corresponding to only those 1,000 records.
The response file always contains the same document ID originally
submitted by the school.
Tracking Document IDs
Schools should track document IDs on their systems. The EDExpress
software provides document-level tracking capability through the
Browse function located within the Tools menu option. You can track
submissions to the COD System with the Document Activity grid
through this system option. Submissions to the COD System can have
Pell-only, TEACH-only, DL-only or any combination of Pell, TEACH
and DL data.
All document IDs transmitted to the COD System using EDExpress have
the same format. The format is CCYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ss.ff99999999.
Document submission is the option for EDExpress users.
Online Submission
For questions regarding online submissions using the COD System’s Web site, refer to Volume II: Common Record Technical Reference of this technical reference.
Transmitting to SAIG
For more information regarding transmitting to SAIG, see the SAIG Host Communication Guide on fsadownload.ed.gov.
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The first segment of the document ID identifies the date the document
was exported from EDExpress. The date is represented in CCYY-MM-DD
format.
CC = Century
YY = Year
MM = Month
DD = Day
Next in the document ID is a T as a date/time separator followed by the
document time identifying when the document was exported from
EDExpress. The time is represented in a HH:mm:ss.ff format.
HH = Hour
mm = Minutes
ss = Seconds
ff = Hundredths of a second
The characters that follow reflect the school’s assigned eight-digit
Source Entity ID from the COD System setup. The Source Entity ID is
randomly generated and assigned to schools by the COD System.
Combination System Message Classes
Volume III, Section 2: Combination System Message Classes, of this
technical reference provides the 2016-2017 Pell, TEACH Grant, and
Direct Loan EDExpress message classes.
The manifest document ID is also tracked in the Document Activity Grid but it uses the Reporting Entity ID, not the Source Entity ID.
Combination System Record Layouts
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Combination System Record Layouts Interfacing your school’s system with EDExpress reduces the effort of
preparing data by importing student data from your existing systems into
EDExpress. You can also take advantage of the built-in edits in
EDExpress to ensure that your records contain valid data. After
processing Pell, TEACH Grant, or Direct Loan records with EDExpress,
you can create a customized export file to share the data with your
school’s other systems.
Volume III, Section 3: Combination System Record Layouts of this
technical reference contains the record layouts that enable you to use
EDExpress in combination with your school’s software to process Pell
Grant, TEACH Grant, and Direct Loan data.
Imports
The import process enables you to quickly add and update both
origination and disbursement records using a combination of EDExpress
and your school’s system or third-party software. Remember, to import
data from another system to EDExpress, you must format the data
according to the record layouts in Volume III, Section 3: Combination
System Record Layouts of this technical reference.
EDExpress receives data from external systems without a header and
trailer record but does require ASCII format, with the end of each record
marked with carriage return/line feed characters (ASCII 13 and 10).
After the last record there is no end of file marker (EOF), only the final
carriage return/line feed marker.
The figure on the next page shows the External Import process.
If the file is incorrectly formatted without the carriage return/line feed, the import fails and the following error message displays: Invalid Record Length. You are given the record size of the import file.
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Data created on a
school's system
Check to be sure the school's system
layout matches the layout in the
technical reference.
Import the data into
EDExpress. (Indicate to
EDExpress whether or not to
prompt for duplicates.)
EDExpress takes the file
through field-by-field editing
during the save process.
All records failing edits display on an
import edit report generated by
EDExpress. Entries on the report
indicate rejected data.
Did the file import
successfully?
Check to make sure that the layout and
number of bytes are what EDExpess
was expecting; resolve all errors. Then
resave the file and begin the import
process again.
No
Imported records have now
been added to the database in
EDExpress.
Yes
External
Import
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Import External Add or External Change Records
The basic steps for importing external data into EDExpress are:
1. Select File, Import from the menu bar.
2. Click the tab of the module you want to use: Pell, TEACH, or Direct
Loan.
3. Click the down arrow on the Import Type box to display a list of
file types to import.
4. Select the file type.
For Pell, choose Origination Data – External or Disbursement
Data – External.
For Direct Loan, choose Loan Data – External Add or Loan Data
– External Change.
For TEACH Grant, choose External TEACH Grant Data
5. Confirm that the default file name and data directory you established
in Setup appear in the Import From box.
Or, if you want to import from a different file name, click the File
button to locate and name the file, then click OK. EDExpress enters
the file name in the box automatically.
6. Click Printer, File, or Screen as the report output destination.
If you want to send the report to a file, click the File button to locate
and name the file, then click OK. EDExpress enters the file name in
the box automatically. Remember that if you print to a file, no hard
copy is printed on your printer. To print a hard copy, you need to
either open the printed file and print or reimport the file and select
Printer as your output destination.
7. Select the checkbox at the Prompt for Duplicates option if you want
EDExpress to display the IDs for records that are duplicates of those
already in your database. If you are importing external change
records for Direct Loan, skip this step.
8. Click OK to import the file and send the report to the destination you
chose. The Database Load Statistics dialog box appears.
9. Click OK to close the Database Load Statistics dialog box. If you
chose screen as your output destination, use the scroll bars to view
and click OK when you are finished.
10. Review the results. If errors occurred, correct them in your import
file, resave the file, and import the file again.
Prompt for Duplicates
If you want to be warned when EDExpress encounters a record in the
database with the same ID as a record being imported, select the Prompt
for Duplicates checkbox in the Import dialog box.
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With the prompt for duplicates option selected, EDExpress prompts you
for the following actions when it encounters a duplicate record:
Skip? This option skips the current record and the import process
advances to read the next record in the file. No updates are made to
the current record.
Skip All? This option skips the current record and all other
duplicates without notification. No updates are made to any of the
duplicate records that are found. EDExpress does not prompt you
when it finds duplicates during the process
Update? This option prompts you to update the current record and
continues processing with the next record. The update option
processes the current record, then advances to the next record and
prompts you again when another duplicate record is found.
Update All? This option updates the current record and all other
duplicate records throughout the process without warning you of
duplicate records found.
Import Edits for Valid Values
As the import progresses, all records are passed through field-by-field
edits. EDExpress checks each field for valid content. If any field fails
an edit, the record is rejected. The fields causing the rejection and
appropriate invalid value messages are displayed on the Import Edit
report.
All records that successfully pass the valid values edits are saved in the
EDExpress database.
End-of-Entry Edits
During the External Import process, EDExpress passes the data through
end-of-entry edits. If an edit is hit, an error message appears on the
Import Edit report at the end of the process. You can also see “Invalid
Value” errors on this same edit report. If this type of error appears, go to
the data element in the record layout and refer to the valid values column
for help in resolving the error.
Correcting Errors
Invalid or missing data must be updated on the external system. You
must then recreate the External Add or Change record and reimport it
into EDExpress.
If you are importing only to add previously rejected records, you can
reuse the original import file after updating the rejected records. You do
not need to remove the previously accepted records from the import file.
EDExpress skips these records unless you select the prompt for
duplicates checkbox to choose a different action.
As with the original import, the corrected records run through the edits
again. If they pass all edits, EDExpress saves them in the database. The
correction and reimport process can be repeated until all errors are
resolved.
If you do not select the Prompt for Duplicates checkbox, EDExpress automatically skips duplicate records.
The import processes for TEACH Grant external data and Pell external data only require those fields that are
to be modified and a few key fields to be imported into EDExpress. Any fields not modified are to be submitted as filler. The External Add Record Layout allows filler in any non-modified field. Refer to Volume III, Section 3: Combination System Record Layouts of this technical reference.
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Import Edit Report
An Import Edit report is created for each file of imported records. This
report identifies rejected records and provides statistics on the number of
records added in the database.
Pell External Imports
This section contains information on processing Pell awards using
EDExpress in combination with your school’s system.
After you enter your Reporting and Attended Entity IDs and your
Reporting and Attended Pell ID in EDExpress, you can import external
origination or external disbursement files from another system. Records
can be set to Ready to Batch when you import these external files.
External Origination Add/Change Record
The Pell Grant External Origination Add/Change record layout
designates the data elements that are required for the origination record
type. External automated systems use this layout to add and change
origination award records in your EDExpress database. The detail of
each record is based on a set of predefined field elements. Create the file
using the PGEO17OP message class so that it can be imported into
EDExpress.
External Disbursement Add/Change Record
The Pell Grant External Disbursement Add/Change record layout
designates the data elements that are required for the disbursement record
type. External automated systems use this layout to add and change
disbursement records in your EDExpress database. The detail of each
record is based on a set of predefined field elements. Create the file
using the PGED17OP message class so that it can be imported into
EDExpress.
Include Records in Next Document Submission
If you select Include Records in Next Document Submission? in the
Import dialog box, EDExpress applies end-of-entry edits to the
origination records. They are reviewed for the integrity of their content
before they are saved in the Pell database. The origination status of all
records that meet the conditions of all required edits is then set to R
(Ready to export).
Records that contain inadequate information are rejected and the import
report displays the details of the failed edit condition. Users are not able
to set the record to an R status until the record is changed to conform to
edit specifications.
If you do not select Include Records in Next Document Submission?,
you must use the multiple entry feature in EDExpress or set the
origination records to R (Ready) one at a time. See the online Help in
EDExpress for information on multiple entry.
Disbursement records that successfully pass valid field content edits are
systematically added in the Pell database at the R status.
Changes to a Pell Grant origination record use the same record layout as adding an origination record and apply to the entire award period.
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Resolving Edits
To resolve field-by-field edits or data element edits, refer to the valid
values column in the record layout and the End-of-Entry Edits table at
the end of this section.
Import Edit Report
At the completion of the import process, an Import Edit report is
generated. The Import Edit report gives record level detail as well as
summary information for the outcome of the import file. The following
statuses are printed in summary at the end of the report:
Row
Heading
Description Status
Records Added
Total of first time records added A
Records Read
Total of all records read N/A
Records Updated
Total of records changed U
Records Rejected
Total of records with errors E
Records Skipped
Total of records disregarded S
TEACH Grant External Imports
See the TEACH Grant Appendix at the end of this section.
Direct Loan External Imports
This section contains information on importing and processing Direct
Loans using EDExpress in combination with your school’s system.
External Import Add
When importing new records into the Direct Loan database in
EDExpress, you must create a file of borrower records according to a
standard file layout. Create the file using the DIEA17OP message class so
that it can be imported into EDExpress.
If the record passes reject editing and a loan ID is not specified in the
import file, the loan record is added in the EDExpress database and a 21-
digit loan ID is assigned. The loan ID is important to systems interfacing
with EDExpress, because it is needed when making changes to existing
records.
When a loan record is imported, EDExpress searches for records with an
identical student SSN, loan type, program year, and Direct Loan school
code. If there is no match, EDExpress assigns 001 as the loan sequence
number.
The Import Edit report statistics indicate the number of records added, read, updated, rejected, or skipped.
In the COD System process, the award ID is the loan ID.
See the External Import Add record layout in Volume III, Section 3: Combination System Record Layouts of this technical reference for layout and file creation specifications.
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More about the Loan Data Add File Layout
Certain borrower information is required before you can save a loan
record. This information includes data about the borrower such as the
name, date of birth, and Student Eligibility Code. In addition, it includes
information specific to the loan, such as the loan amount approved, loan
period start and end dates, and assumed MPN status. When creating the
import file, refer to and adhere to the column marked “Required Field to
Save Record” in the External Import Loan Origination Add file (DIEA)
record layout.
EDExpress automatically performs the origination process for all records
containing all of the required origination fields. This step is performed
during the import process for all records with a loan origination status of
N (Not ready to send to COD). For more information on origination
record data that must be entered in EDExpress to perform the origination
process for a given loan type, see the Direct Loan Fields Required for
Origination table earlier in this section.
If your school chooses to fill field #1 with a pre-assigned loan ID, you
can assign any loan sequence number (001 to 999). However, we
strongly recommend that you start the loan sequence number creation
with 001 and do not start with 101.
150% Direct Subsidized Loan Limit Fields
EDExpress includes multiple Direct Loan origination and disbursement
fields addressing data reporting requirements related to the 150% Direct
Subsidized loan limits.
Most of the required origination fields related to the 150% Direct
Subsidized loan limits are displayed on the Usage Limit Applies Info
sub-tab of the Origination (Direct Loan) tab. The Disburse (Direct Loan)
tab in EDExpress also includes required CIP Code, Enrollment Status,
and Payment Period Start Date data elements for each anticipated or
actual disbursement.
EDExpress does not require these field values to add or save new Direct
Loan records using external import, but they are required to originate
loan records for all loan types.
When building Direct Loan external add files, note the following tips:
If you leave the Subsidized Usage Limit Applies value blank in your
external import add file, EDExpress sets the field value on the loan
record to No (Subsidized Usage Limit Does Not Apply)
automatically.
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If you include a disbursement profile code in your external import
file, EDExpress adds the payment period start date values you
associated with each disbursement date in Disbursement setup on the
anticipated disbursements created on the Disburse tab as a result of
the import. If you do not include a disbursement profile code in an
external add file, you must provide a payment period start date value
for each anticipated disbursement in a subsequent update using
manual entry, Direct Loan Multiple Entry, or an external change
import file
If you include a valid Program Profile Code value in your external
import file, EDExpress updates many of the required origination
fields located on the Usage Limit Applies Info sub-tab of the
Origination tab with the values you defined for the fields in Program
Profile setup.
When importing external data, EDExpress uses the CIP Code and
Enrollment Status field values in your file to update the
corresponding fields on the Origination tab and each anticipated
disbursement record on the Disburse tab.
External Import Change
This type of import enables you to submit changes from your school’s
systems to the EDExpress Direct Loan database. To do this, as with
originations, you must create a file of borrower records according to a
standard file layout. Use the External Import Change record layout and
the table of Loan Origination Import Change Field Numbers to create
your change record. These can be found in Volume III, Section 3:
Combination System Record Layouts of this technical reference.
Create the file using the DIEC17OP message class so that it can be
imported into EDExpress.
Each record must contain the borrower’s loan ID, the field number of the
field to be updated, and the updated value.
To import most efficiently, you should import the records in Social
Security Number order, and the fields to be updated within each change
record should appear in numerical order. For example, if you are
changing fields S013 (borrower’s telephone number) and S101 (student’s
local address city), field S013 should appear first in the change record,
followed by field S101.
Each change record contains space for up to 10 data element changes.
Multiple change records can be imported for a loan ID if more than 10
changes are required. When additional change records are included in
the file for the same loan ID, the Sequence Number (position 22 to 26)
must be incremented by one for each record.
You can add values for the following Direct Loan origination fields individually in your external add import file in lieu of using a Program Profile Code: Program Credential Level, Published Program Length, Published Program Length Unit, Special Programs, and Weeks Program Academic Year.
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Formatting Corrected Values
Corrected values must be left-justified within the 50-byte change value
field. Numeric fields are left-justified and blank-filled up to the
maximum number of positions for that field. For example, when
correcting a five-byte numeric field to a value of “900,” the correction
record would display 00900 with 45 blank spaces.
Example
Two changes are submitted to a loan record whose ID is
999999999U17G99999001:
A change in the borrower’s last name to SMITH, and
A change in the first anticipated disbursement gross amount to $900.
The following would be the contents of the change record excluding the
create time, document number, and User ID fields at the end of the
record:
Importing Actual Disbursement Data into EDExpress
You can create a change record to import actual disbursement data from
an external institutional system into EDExpress. To do this, use the
External Import Change record layout (DIEC17OP) in Volume III, Section
3: Combination System Record Layouts of this technical reference.
A change record may include the following disbursement change fields:
Field Change Field
Number
Disbursement Number D003
Disbursement Date D004
Net Adjustment Amount? D006
Action Date D009
Action Amount (Actual Disbursement) D007
Payment Period Start Date D008
Enroll OPE ID D010
For the initial actual disbursement (sequence #01), you only need to
provide the Disbursement Number (D003); the remaining data (with the
exception of Net Adjustment Amount, which only applies to actual
disbursement adjustments) is pulled from the anticipated disbursement
record unless you include modified values for those fields.
{999999999U17G99999001 S007SMITH S04000900 ...}
Loan ID (21 bytes) Correction Data (50 bytes) Correction Data (50 bytes)
Field Number (4 bytes) Field Number (4 bytes)
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The gross, fee, interest rebate, and net amounts, and Enroll OPE ID, CIP
Code, Enrollment Status, and Payment Period Start Date changes are sent
to the COD System for all anticipated and actual disbursements.
Disbursement records can be recorded in EDExpress by entering either
actual gross or net amounts. EDExpress calculates the other amounts.
You indicate whether disbursements are entered using the gross amount
or net amount in COD School setup, Direct Loan. After a disbursement
is entered into EDExpress using a disbursement gross amount or a
disbursement net amount, all disbursement records for that loan must be
entered using the same method.
The process of adjusting actual disbursement data elements in
EDExpress using external change records is simplified significantly for
the 2016-2017 Award Year. EDExpress now allows you to adjust any
financial or non-financial data element associated with an actual
disbursement in the same disbursement sequence number. This change
means you are no longer required to submit adjustments to disbursement
data elements individually in separate sequence numbers.
As part of this change, we eliminated the Action Type field (also known
as Disbursement Type) from EDExpress, which indicated the single
disbursement data element you were updating in the new disbursement
sequence number you were adding.
When you provide an actual disbursement adjustment using an external
change file, you are now only required to provide the Loan ID, the new
sequence number, values for the disbursement number (change field
number D003) and the change field numbers and values associated with
the actual disbursement data elements you are adjusting. You can also
include an Action Date (change field number D009) value, although it is
not required or sent to the COD System.
For example, if you are adding a new sequence number to adjust the
disbursement amount and disbursement date associated with
disbursement #1, you would include the following change field numbers
in your external change file (after the Loan ID and new sequence
number):
D003 (Disbursement Number)
D004 (Disbursement Date)
D007 (Action Amount)
(Optional) D006 (Net Adjustment Amount?)
When you add or adjust a disbursement, EDExpress pulls the latest CIP
Code and Enrollment Status from the Origination (Direct Loan) tab for
the new actual disbursement sequence number. If you include a new
value for the CIP Code (change field number S021) or Enrollment Status
(change field number S020) in your external change file, EDExpress
updates the CIP Code or Enrollment Status value on the Origination tab
and on all anticipated disbursements, as well as including the new value
in the disbursement sequence number created for the actual disbursement
you are adjusting.
New for 2016-2017! We revised or removed Direct Loan end-of-entry edits that checked for an Action Type (also known as Disbursement Type) value or rejected actual disbursement
adjustments if more than one disbursement data element is adjusted.
The Action Date (change field number D009) is an optional field that can indicate the date the disbursement adjustments you are making were made at your school or another critical date you want to track internally as part of each disbursement. The Action Date value is not sent to the COD System.
You can also adjust the Payment Period Start Date (change field number D008) or Enroll OPE ID (change field number D010) in the same sequence number as other actual disbursement data elements.
New for 2016-2017! If you set the value for the new “Net Adjustment Amount?” (change field number D006) field to Y in your change record, EDExpress interprets the positive or negative value provided in the Action Amount field (change field number D007) as the amount of the adjustment to the net disbursement amount of the previous sequence number.
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Sequence of Disbursement Records
Disbursement records should occur in the file grouped by loan ID. The
records must be sorted within loan ID by disbursement number and
disbursement sequence number using the previous disbursement
sequence number for disbursement sequence numbers 66 to 90
(adjustments to disbursements created on the COD System Web site).
For example, a loan has one actual disbursement and two adjustments.
The table below demonstrates the appropriate sort order for these
disbursement transactions.
Inactive Loan Process (Adjustments to Zero)
Individual disbursements and the loan amount approved can be adjusted
to zero. This process provides you the flexibility to increase the loan by
simply recording and sending the COD System an upward adjustment if
the loan or disbursement is to be reactivated after being adjusted to zero.
When you select the inactive flag in EDExpress, a dialog box appears
with two options.
Option 1
Select the loan as inactive so it no longer appears on reports.
Loan Amount Approved – not
adjusted Anticipated Disbursement – not adjusted
Option 2 Select the loan as inactive so it no longer appears on reports and generates necessary change records to be exported to the COD System.
Loan Amount Approved – adjusted to zero Anticipated Disbursement – adjusts ALL anticipated disbursements to zero
The following scenarios demonstrate this process:
Scenario A
School A needs to cancel an entire loan and no actual disbursements
have been made.
1. Reduce the loan amount approved to $0 or select the loan as inactive
and select the option to reduce the loan amount approved to $0.
2. Save the record.
3. Export a Common Record that contains the change to the loan
amount approved and all anticipated disbursements to the COD
System.
Disb
Number Disb Date
Disb
Sequence
Number
Previous Disb
Sequence
Number
Action Date
Disbursement 01 09/12/2016 01
First Adjusted
Disbursement Amount 01 09/12/2016 66 01 09/16/2016
Second Adjusted
Disbursement Date 01 09/13/2016 02 66 10/03/2016
If the sum of actual disbursements is changed to $0, EDExpress displays a message suggesting that you may also want to change the loan amount approved to $0.
The save process within EDExpress automatically reduces each anticipated disbursement to $0.
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If you later decide to reactivate this loan:
4. Increase the loan amount approved to the appropriate amount, which
automatically resets the inactive flag.
5. EDExpress automatically recalculates the anticipated disbursements.
6. Export a Common Record that contains the change to the loan
amount approved and all anticipated disbursements to the COD
System.
Scenario B
School B wants to cancel an entire loan, but actual disbursements have
been made.
1. Adjust all actual disbursements to $0 and send in a Common Record
that contains the adjusted disbursement record to the COD System.
2. At the same time, reduce the loan amount approved to $0 or select
the loan as inactive and select the option to reduce the loan amount
approved to $0.
3. Save the record.
4. Export a Common Record that contains the change to the loan
amount approved.
If you later decide to reactivate this loan:
1. (As in Step 4 for Scenario A) Increase the loan amount approved to
the appropriate amount. The current anticipated disbursements are
not recalculated.
2. Enter new anticipated disbursements with new disbursement
numbers.
3. Select the disbursement release indicator (DRI) and an actual
disbursement record is sent to the COD System to report the new
actual disbursement amounts.
Scenario C
School C wants to only cancel individual actual disbursements but not
inactivate the loan:
1. Adjust the individual actual disbursements to $0.
2. Adjust the Loan Amount Approved to $0 on the origination record
(to allow for recalculations of the 150% Direct Subsidized loan
limits).
3. Export a Common Record that contains the adjusted disbursements
and Loan Amount Approved to the COD System.
4. If you later decide to reactivate these disbursements, you must
submit the new disbursement amounts and dates in a disbursement
adjustment transaction.
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5. Export the Common Record to the COD System to report the
adjusted disbursement amounts and dates.
Prompt for Duplicates
If you selected the Prompt for Duplicates checkbox in the Import dialog
box and EDExpress discovers a record with the same student SSN, loan
type, program year, and DL code as on a record being imported, it
proceeds according to the action you select. For example, when you
select:
Create New – EDExpress creates a new loan record and prompts
you again when the next duplicate record is found. EDExpress
assigns the next highest loan sequence number.
Create All – EDExpress creates a new loan record when each
instance of a duplicate record is found without further prompts.
EDExpress assigns the next highest loan sequence number.
Skip – EDExpress skips the duplicate record. The skipped record is
counted on the Import Edit report as a skipped record.
Skip All – EDExpress skips each instance of a duplicate record
without further prompts. The skipped records are counted on the
Import Edit report as skipped records.
Loan Types in the Database
EDExpress maintains separate records for each borrower loan type. For
example, if a borrower is associated with a subsidized loan, unsubsidized
loan, PLUS loan (as a parent borrower), and Grad PLUS loan, four
records are imported to EDExpress, one for each loan type. For each
imported record, a record is established in the Loan Origination database.
For subsidized, unsubsidized, and Grad PLUS loan types, the Loan
Origination database maintains demographic information about the
student borrower. Parent borrower and student demographic information
is also maintained for PLUS loans.
Importing Disbursement Profile Codes into EDExpress
Note the following guidance regarding importing disbursement profile
codes into EDExpress:
You can include a disbursement profile code without including the
loan period start/end dates, academic year start/end dates, anticipated
disbursement dates, or payment period start dates (disbursement
profile code must already be defined in EDExpress setup.)
You can include a new disbursement profile code with corresponding
loan period start/end dates, academic year start/end dates, anticipated
disbursement dates, and payment period start dates (EDExpress adds
this disbursement profile code with the dates you provided to
EDExpress setup.)
The EDExpress Direct Loan module maintains an internal loan type (G)
unique to Grad PLUS origination records to differentiate between PLUS and Grad PLUS data in EDExpress functionality. This internal loan type is not submitted to the COD System. EDExpress uses the existing PLUS loan identifier (P) when creating the
Grad PLUS loan ID.
You must provide the Payment Period Start Date associated with each anticipated disbursement date in disbursement profile codes marked for use with the Direct Loan module.
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You can include loan period start/end dates, academic year start/end
dates, anticipated disbursement dates, and payment period start dates
without a disbursement profile code. EDExpress creates a generic
disbursement profile code in EDExpress setup.
External Exports (Pell, TEACH, and Direct Loan)
The Export function in EDExpress enables you to extract the data you
need, in a format you create, for whatever purpose you choose. For
example, when you receive responses for the disbursement records you
send to the COD System, you can create ASCII files from the data that
contains only the information needed by the business office to update
student accounts.
Consider the following scenario for an External Export for Direct Loan
information:
The Admissions Office staff members at your school are compiling
confidential statistics on the student population, and they need some
data on Direct Loan recipients. They want only a little information
about each student, not the student’s entire financial aid record, and
they want to use the data on their mainframe computer. You find
you can accommodate their request easily by exporting the data from
EDExpress. You would follow these basic steps:
1. Identify the fields on the loan record that collect the information
needed by the Admissions Office.
2. Create a file format that contains those fields using the File Formats
tool in EDExpress. To create the file format first, you assign a code
to the file format and enter a description so that you can identify it.
Then you select the data fields you want to be included in the file
format from a menu. (See “File Formats” later in this section and the
Help system in EDExpress for information about creating and using
file formats.)
3. Export the data. When you begin the export process, you can select
the records you want to export using queries or selection criteria.
You also select the format code so EDExpress knows what format to
use. In other words, EDExpress exports exactly the data you specify
from only the records you select. The data you export is always in
ASCII format. The Admissions Office staff members told you that
having the file delimited by tabs would make moving the data onto
their mainframe much simpler, so you select the tab delimited option
in the Export to File dialog box and proceed with the export.
4. Print the format you used to export the data and give the printout to
the administrators of the Admissions Office’s computer system. The
format lists the fields you selected. When the administrators match
the format to the exported data, they can identify the data elements in
each student’s record.
The key points are to give the printed file format to the people receiving
the data and to tell them that the file is in ASCII format.
Grad PLUS fields
Grad PLUS records included in a Direct Loan External Export file are
identified as Loan Type G (Grad
PLUS), provided you select the Loan Type field as part of the Direct Loan file format you use for the export.
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Header and Trailer Records
Because each school’s system has unique requirements for importing
data files, the export files created by EDExpress for use by external
systems are created without header or trailer records attached. If needed,
the appropriate header or trailer records must be created by your school’s
system upon import.
Also, these export files are created in ASCII format and the end of each
record is delineated or marked with carriage return/line feed characters
(ASCII 13 and 10). After the last record, there is no end of file marker
(EOF), only the final carriage return/line feed marker.
Remember that before you can export external data, you must first
establish file formats to format the data for the external systems that will
use it. Each file format is identified by a code. Select Tools from the
EDExpress menu bar to access the File Format function.
File Formats
File Formats is a utility in EDExpress that enables you to select the data
fields and the order of the fields for a file to be exported to an external
system. Before you can export external data, you must establish a file
format for Pell data, TEACH data, or for Direct Loan data that is tailored
to your external system.
Each file format is identified by a user-defined, two-character code and
the specific fields you select in the File Formats dialog box. The order in
which you select the fields displays in the Sequence column and
indicates the sequence in which the fields appear in the exported file.
Files exported out of EDExpress using File Formats can be exported as
standard fixed-length files or each field can be separated by a delimiter.
When exporting a file, if you choose fixed-length, the system exports the
file in a standard layout, with each field exported into a specific field
position within the layout. If you choose comma, tab, or custom
delimiter, EDExpress exports the file with each field separated by the
chosen delimiter. Some systems may find it easier to import the file with
a selected delimiter, rather than using a fixed-length layout for all
exports.
Create File Formats
The specific steps to create a file format in EDExpress follow.
1. Select Tools, File Formats from the menu bar.
2. Click the module for which you want to create the file format.
3. (Optional) If you have previously created file formats, click Add.
4. Type a two-character format code for the file you are creating. The
code must be unique.
5. Type a description of the format you are creating.
6. Click the down arrow on the right to scroll through the list of fields.
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7. (Optional) If you want to select all the fields, click Select All.
8. (Optional) If you want to select specific fields, select the checkbox
next to the fields you want to select.
9. Click the Resequence button to shift all selected fields to the top of
the list for easy viewing. Click OK to continue.
10. Click Save to save the format, then click OK to continue.
11. (Optional) Click Add and repeat steps 3 through 10 to add more
formats.
12. Click OK to return to the EDExpress main window.
For more information on file formats, see the online Help in EDExpress.
Export Data to an External System
The specific steps to export data to an external system follow.
1. Select File, Export from the menu bar.
2. Click the tab for the module from which you are exporting data (Pell,
TEACH, or Direct Loan).
3. Click the down arrow on the Export Type box to display and select
from a list of data types to export.
For Pell, select External Export.
For TEACH, select External Export.
For Direct Loan, select External Loan Data.
4. Confirm that the default file name and data directory you established
in Setup appears in the Export To box.
5. (Optional for Direct Loan) Set export status to Y (Yes), N (No), or B
(Both). Export status refers to the export to external flag in the
database. Choosing export status as Y in the Export dialog box
exports all records with the export to external system flag set to Y.
After the export process completes, this flag is set to N.
6. Type the code of the file format you want to use in the Format Code
entry box in the lower portion of the window. (See “File Formats” in
this section and the Help system in EDExpress for information about
creating and using file formats.)
Or, click the ellipsis (...) button to open the File Format grid and
select a code from the list. Click the code you want to use, and then
click OK to return to the Export dialog box.
You are limited to selecting 255 fields at one time.
Grad PLUS fields
Grad PLUS records included in a Direct Loan External Export file are identified as Loan Type G (Grad
PLUS), provided you select the Loan Type field as part of the Direct Loan File Format you use for the export.
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7. (Optional) Click the Select Delimiter option and choose the
delimiter method you want to use to separate the data in your file. If
you chose to use a custom delimiter, type the character/string you
want to use in the Custom Delimiter entry box.
8. (Optional) Click the Selection Criteria button to narrow the group
of records you want to work with. When you are finished, click OK.
9. Click OK to export the file. EDExpress exports the file to the
location shown in the Export To box, and an Export Statistics dialog
box appears.
10. Click OK to close the Export Statistics dialog box.
The Query Function
EDExpress includes an SQL-based query function that offers flexibility
in locating and extracting information from the records in your database
for whatever purpose you may have. It enables you to create files
tailored with information just for the business office or to print reports
that identify specific student populations.
General information on query follows. For more detailed query
information, see the EDExpress Help system in the software.
What is a Query?
A query is a request for certain records from your EDExpress database.
It describes records meeting certain criteria that you specify. Queries are
used in functions like print and export to select specific groups of student
records from all the records in the database. Some queries have fixed
values, or you can enter different values each time you use the query.
Why Create a Query?
Use a query any time you want to work with a subset of all the records in
your database. For instance, you may want to print a list of seniors to
whom you have disbursed Pell. Or, you might want to create
unsubsidized loan records for all dependent students with parent’s credit
decisions of credit denied.
Queries are used in all modules of EDExpress to perform specific
functions, such as printing and exporting. Generally, any time working
with a subset of records makes sense, EDExpress provides the option to
use a query. Queries are available in any dialog box where the Selection
Criteria button is enabled.
Simple Query Statements
A query statement has three components:
Data field
Operator
Value
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Query Examples
Example of a Pell Grant Query
If you want to find all students who are residents of Missouri, who are
eligible to receive the maximum amount of Pell Grant funding, the query
statement may look like this:
(STUDENT’S STATE OF LEGAL RESIDENCE = “MO”)
AND
(EFC - PELL = 0)
Example of a TEACH Grant Query
If you want to identify students whose TEACH Grant is not yet showing
as booked in EDExpress, the query statement would look like this:
(BOOKED STATUS) = Blank
Example of a Direct Loan Query
If you want to find all first year students who have never attended
college with an approved loan amount of less than 2,000, the query
statement may look like this:
(GRADE LEVEL IN COLLEGE – DL = “0”)
AND
(LOAN AMOUNT APPROVED < 2000)
You can build queries like these easily in EDExpress by selecting fields,
operators, and values from lists. Help for the valid values, for all fields,
is available in the Query window.
Predefined Queries
To get you started, EDExpress offers sets of queries that are commonly
used in Pell Grant, TEACH Grant, Direct Loan, and the other modules of
the software. You can use these predefined queries as they are, or you
can use them as templates for building the queries that are most useful to
your school and the way you process data.
Create a Query
The specific steps to create a query in EDExpress follow.
1. Select Tools, Query from the EDExpress menu bar.
2. Click the tab of the module for which you want to create a query
(Pell, TEACH, or Direct Loan.)
3. Click the Add button.
4. Type a descriptive title for the query.
5. Select a field from the field list. You can type the first few letters of
the field name to find the field names that begin with those letters.
6. Click the down arrow in the operator field to select an operator.
See the Help system in EDExpress for a complete list of predefined queries.
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7. Type a value for the field. Click the Value Help button to see the
valid values for the field.
If you want to be prompted for a value at the time you use the query,
do not specify a value for the query statement. Instead, select the
Prompt at Execution checkbox.
8. Click the Append button to add the query statement to the criteria
box.
9. (Optional) Click the And button or the Or button to add another
statement to the query. Repeat steps 5 through 8 until you have
added all statements for the query, and then continue with step 10.
10. Click Save to save the query, then click OK.
11. Click OK to close the Query dialog box or click Add to create
another query.
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Combination System Edits Volume III, Section 4 of this technical reference contains Pell Grant,
TEACH Grant, and Direct Loan EDExpress edits. They are provided in
a table format and are listed by edit number. The field name, condition,
and message associated with each edit are also provided.
Example End-of-Entry Edits and Resolution Steps
The following end-of-entry edits are commonly encountered whenever
importing external origination or disbursement add data into the Pell
Grant, TEACH Grant, and Direct Loan modules. Refer to these example
edits for resolution help.
Pell Grant
Origination End-of-Entry Edits
Edit Description and Resolution Steps
1200, 1205, 1209 to 1211, and 1213
Description: For a Pell Grant record, EDExpress validates the student’s award amount for the entire school year based on the student’s EFC, academic calendar, cost of attendance, and enrollment status or weeks/hours used to calculate payment. If the award amount for the entire year in the External Origination Add file is greater than the EDExpress calculated amount, the record will not import. Resolution Steps: Confirm each record has the correct award amount for the entire year in the External Add file. Payment methodology and academic calendar – When calculating award amounts, you must use the correct payment methodology and academic calendar combination. EDExpress has a variety of edits that ensures consistent and accurate award amounts, provided the values are correct.
1550 Description: This edit results when the student’s date of birth in the External Origination Add file is blank. Note: This edit applies to Pell Grant origination records. Resolution Steps: Add the student’s date of birth in CCYYMMDD format to the External Add file.
Combination System Edits
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Pell Grant
Disbursement End-of-Entry Edits
Edit Description and Resolution Steps
1520, 1540 ED assigns a funding methodology to schools that determines when a school can disburse funds. Note: Although EDExpress accepts any date on or after 01/01/2016, the valid 2016-2017 date range for Pell Grant disbursement records is from the date the 2016-2017 Pell schedules are posted on the IFAP Web site (ifap.ed.gov) to 09/30/2022. 1520 – Description: This edit applies to schools using one of the following funding methods: Advance Pay or Cash Monitoring 1 (CM1). The current date cannot be more than 7 days before the disbursement date. Resolution Steps: To correct this edit, enter a Pell Grant disbursement date that falls between 01/01/2016 and 09/30/2022 and is no more than 7 days greater than the current date. 1540 – Description: This edit applies to schools using the Cash Monitoring 2 or
Reimbursement funding method. The current date cannot be greater than the disbursement date. Resolution Steps: To correct this edit, enter a Pell Grant disbursement date that falls between 01/01/2016 and 09/30/2022 and matches the current date
1680 Description: This edit occurs if the Award Amount for the Entire School Year is zero. Note: This is a warning edit only and does not stop any save process based on only this edit. Resolution Steps: If this is an initial award, the COD System rejects this record, since zero is not an acceptable award amount on an initial submission. Enter the amount of the Pell Grant in the Award Amount for the Entire School Year field in the External Origination Data file. If this is a correction to an already accepted Pell Grant award and you are zeroing out the previous award amount, the COD System accepts this. The award amount does not need to be changed in the External Origination Data file.
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TEACH Grant
Origination End-of-Entry Edits
Disbursement End-of-Entry Edits
Edit Description and Resolution Steps
5001
Description: This edit occurs if Citizenship Status is equal to 3. Resolution Steps: Change the citizenship status in the External TEACH Grant Data file to 1 (U.S. Citizen), 2 (Non-U.S. Citizen) or blank.
5007 Description: This edit results when the student’s date of birth in the External TEACH Grant Data file is blank. Resolution Steps: Add the student’s date of birth in CCYYMMDD format to the External TEACH Grant Data file.
5009 Description: This edit occurs if the Award Amount for the Entire School Year is zero. Note: This is a warning edit only and does not stop any save process based on only this edit.
Resolution Steps: If this is an initial award, the COD System rejects this record, since zero is not an acceptable award amount on an initial submission. Enter the amount of the TEACH Grant in the Award Amount for the Entire School Year field in the External TEACH Grant Data file. If this is a correction to an already accepted TEACH award and you are zeroing out the previous award amount, the COD System accepts this. The award amount does not need to be changed in the TEACH Grant External Data file.
5011 and 5012
Description: These edits occur if the CIP Code (edit 5011) or Enrollment Status (edit 5012) field is blank in the External TEACH Grant Data file and you select the “Include Records in Next Document Submission?” checkbox in the EDExpress TEACH Grant import dialog box. Both field values are required before a TEACH Grant record is ready for export to the COD System. Resolution Steps: Add the CIP Code or Enrollment Status value to the External TEACH Grant Data file and re-import.
Edit Description and Resolution Steps
5102 Description: This edit occurs if a new disbursement sequence is added and current actual disbursement # is not Accepted or Batched. Resolution Steps: Actual disbursement must be Accepted or Batched before a change is applied to that actual disbursement. Export and transmit actual disbursements.
5104 Description: This edit occurs if the Amount Submitted and the Disbursement Date are the same as the Amount Submitted and Disbursement Date of the previous sequence number for this disbursement number. Resolution Steps: Change the Amount Submitted or the Disbursement Date (or both values, if needed) for this disbursement sequence number in the External TEACH Grant Data file so that it is different from the previous disbursement sequence number.
5111 Description: This edit occurs if the Funding Method from TEACH Grant School Setup is Advance or Cash Monitoring 1, the Disbursement Release Indicator is true, and current date is more than 7 days prior to the Disbursement Date. Resolution Steps: Change the Disbursement Date in the External TEACH Grant Data file to be less than or equal to 7 days prior to the current date.
Combination System Edits
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Direct Loan
Direct Loan General End-of-Entry Edits
Direct Loan Origination End-of-Entry Edits
Direct Loan MPN End-of-Entry Edits
Edit Description and Resolution Steps
1025 Description: This edit occurs if the change record importing the borrower default on education loans is set to a Y and an actual disbursement exists. Resolution Steps: EDExpress prompts you to adjust the actual disbursement to $0 (on the Disbursement tab) and set default on student loan to Y (Origination tab). Or, you can correct the Import Change file to include the correct data. After corrected, the changes are ready to send to the COD System.
1215 Description: This edit looks at the inactive loan flag. If the inactive loan checkbox is selected, updates to actual disbursements are not allowed. Resolution Steps: Review the inactive loan flag checkbox in the Loan Information box on the Loans tab. If the loan should be active, you can clear the inactive loan checkbox and then make
changes to the disbursement fields.
Edit Description and Resolution Steps
1010 Description: You receive this error when the student’s date of birth is the same as the parent’s date of birth on a PLUS loan. Resolution Steps: Correct either the student’s date of birth or the parent’s date of birth.
1035 Description: You receive this error if the dependency status = D for dependent and year in college is six or seven. Graduate students cannot be dependent. Resolution Steps: Change either the dependency status or the year in college.
5005 Description: You receive this edit if you attempt to update the CIP Code value to blank on a
Direct Loan record with an Origination Status other than N (Not Ready to Send to COD). Resolution Steps: After you have originated a Direct Loan record in EDExpress, the CIP Code field cannot be corrected to blank. The CIP Code value is required by the COD System for all Direct Loan anticipated and actual disbursements and must be provided on the Origination (Direct Loan) tab for all loan types before you can run the origination process in EDExpress.
Edit Description and Resolution Steps
1065 Description: You receive this error: If the MPN status is changed to S and the current MPN status is not P, or If the current MPN status is not an R and the MPN print indicator is F, on-site custom system.
Resolution Steps: Change the status to P, then change the status to S.
4006 Description: You receive this error when the MPN status is changed to T and the current MPN status is not N, R, P, S, or M. Resolution Steps: Change the current MPN status to R or P. Then, change the MPN status to T.
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TEACH Grant Appendix
Teacher Education Assistance for College
and Higher Education Grant The College Cost Reduction and Access Act (the CCRAA), Pub.L. 110-
84, authorized the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher
Education (TEACH) Grant Program for implementation beginning with
the 2008-2009 Award Year. The TEACH Grant Program provides up to
$4,000 a year in grant assistance to a student who agrees to serve for at
least four years as a full-time teacher in a high-need field in a public or
private elementary or secondary school that serves students from low-
income families. A TEACH Grant recipient who does not complete the
required teaching within a specified timeframe, or fails to meet certain
other requirements of the TEACH Grant Program, will be required to
repay the TEACH Grant as a Direct Unsubsidized Loan under the
William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program.
Before receiving a TEACH Grant, a student must complete a TEACH
Grant Agreement to Serve (ATS), using the ATS Web site, for each year
in which a TEACH Grant is awarded. The ATS Web site is located at
teach-ats.ed.gov. The ATS explains the teaching service requirements
that a student must meet in exchange for receiving a TEACH Grant,
specifies the conditions under which a TEACH Grant will be converted
to a Direct Unsubsidized Loan, and includes the student’s agreement to
repay the TEACH Grant as a Direct Unsubsidized Loan, with interest
accrued from the date of each TEACH Grant disbursement, if he or she
does not meet the requirements of the TEACH Grant Program. The ATS
also provides information on the terms and conditions associated with
repaying a TEACH Grant that is converted to a Direct Unsubsidized
Loan. For more information on TEACH Grants, visit
studentaid.ed.gov/types/grants-scholarships/teach.
TEACH Grant Appendix
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TEACH Grant functionality is installed as a separate module in
EDExpress 2016-2017, Release 2.0 and subsequent releases, enabling
you to create, export, and import TEACH Grant origination and
disbursement records. You can also import ATS and Booking
Notification Response files received from the COD System.
Origination and disbursement data for the TEACH Grant is processed
through the COD System using the COD Common Record and COD
Common Record Response (CRAA17OP). EDExpress enables you to
export TEACH Grant origination and disbursement records separately or
in the same Common Record file (CRAA17IN) with Direct Loan and Pell
module records. You can also print reports and lists from the TEACH
module, as well as print existing reports from the COD module that have
been updated to include TEACH Grant data.
In the sections below, we provide additional detail and guidance to
EDExpress combination users regarding the TEACH Grant module.
The COD System is required to collect the student’s Title IV eligibility reason on all Direct Loan, Pell Grant, and TEACH Grant records. For students enrolling in a program of study on or after July 1, 2012, this eligibility information must include whether the student received a high school diploma or a GED certificate or the equivalent or was home-schooled.
EDExpress requires that you provide a Student Eligibility Code field value on the Demo tab to establish the student’s eligibility reason before a Direct Loan, Pell Grant, or TEACH Grant record can be saved or originated on the Origination tab.
EDExpress Setup Requirements for the TEACH Grant
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EDExpress Setup Requirements for the
TEACH Grant
COD Setup
Before processing TEACH Grant records, you must set up the following
COD system options. From the menu bar, select Tools, Setup, then
choose COD.
School – TEACH Grant School setup enables you to establish the
school profile information and default options and settings that will
apply when processing TEACH Grant origination and disbursement
records. Select Tools, Setup from the menu bar, then choose COD,
School, TEACH to access School setup.
The values for Funding Method are:
o 1 (Advance Pay)
o 2 (Cash Monitoring 1 – CM1)
o 3 (Cash Monitoring 2 – CM2)
o 4 (Reimbursement)
Selecting the Default School? checkbox automatically updates the
Add TEACH dialog box with the School OPE ID and Federal School
Code that you enter in School Setup. It also automatically fills the
OPE ID and Federal School Code fields in the Import dialog box
when importing Origination Data – ISIRs into TEACH, as well as in
the Print dialog box for TEACH reports.
If you want to calculate disbursements using pennies, select the
Calculate Amounts Using Pennies? checkbox.
System – The TEACH Grant section of System setup enables you to
identify the Source Entity ID and other default settings that will be
used for TEACH Grant processing. In COD System setup, you can
elect to combine TEACH Grant, Pell Grant, and Direct Loan records
when you export a COD Common Record file. You can override the
Combine Files function from the Export dialog box when a COD
Common Record file is exported. Select Tools, Setup from the
menu bar, then choose COD, System to access System setup.
Disbursement – Disbursement setup enables you to establish
disbursement profile codes for the TEACH Grant. Disbursement
Profile setup is required prior to originating TEACH Grant records.
You can establish disbursement profiles for TEACH Grants only or
combine a profile with Pell Grant and/or Direct Loan. Select Tools,
Setup from the menu bar, then choose COD, Disbursement to
access Disbursement Profile setup. You can enter up to 20
disbursements. The disbursement date must be on or after
01/01/2016.
We recommend you select a default Enrollment Status value in School Setup to prepare TEACH Grant records more quickly for processing by the COD System. The Enrollment Status field value is required on the Origination (TEACH Grant) tab to prepare TEACH Grant records for export.
All eight digits of the School OPE ID are required.
The School OPE ID is specific to TEACH Grant origination records, and can be different than 8-byte Enroll OPE ID field captured on individual TEACH Grant disbursement records.
TEACH Grant Appendix
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CIP Codes - This setup option enables you to define multiple
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Codes that you can
later select from a list when creating or modifying TEACH Grant
records, saving you data entry time. The CIP Code values you
define in this setup option can be selected by clicking the ellipsis
button (…) next to the CIP Code field on the import dialog box and
Origination tab for the respective modules.
The CIP Code data element, which is a six-digit code (with an
implied decimal between the second and third digit) representing the
student’s college major, is required for all anticipated and actual
TEACH Grant disbursement records.
Security Groups Setup
The Security Groups dialog box includes a tab for TEACH Grant
security setup, enabling you to assign access privileges to specific
TEACH Grant functions by groups of users. Select Tools, Setup from
the menu bar, then choose Global, Security Groups.
User Database Setup
The User Database (Tools, Setup, Global, User Database) in
EDExpress can be used to track TEACH Grant award criteria. For
example, you can create “YES OR NO” fields to track information such
as students receiving comment code 281 on their ISIRs, scoring above
the 75th percentile on college admissions tests, or maintaining a
cumulative GPA of at least 3.25.
A list of eligible majors and their corresponding CIP codes is available on the National Center for Education
Statistics (NCES) Web site at nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cip2010.
CIP Code values defined in COD Setup are also available for use on Direct Loan and Pell Grant records.
Origination and Disbursement Add/Change
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Origination and Disbursement
Add/Change You can create or modify TEACH origination and actual disbursement
records by importing an external TEACH Grant Data file. Follow the
External TEACH Grant Data record layout (TGED17OP) in Volume III,
Section 3: Combination System Record Layouts of this technical
reference to create or modify an ASCII file of the required data and
import the file into EDExpress. You should also refer to the TEACH
Grant Data record layout for the relationship between the Disbursement
Profile Code and disbursements. TEACH Grants can have up to 20
disbursements. Disbursement dates must be 01/01/2016 or later. Select
File, Import from the menu bar, then choose TEACH, External
TEACH Grant Data (TGED).
CIP Code and Enrollment Status
The CIP Code and Enrollment Status values provided on the Origination
(TEACH Grant) tab are used automatically for all anticipated and actual
disbursement records on the Disburse (TEACH Grant) tab. To change
the CIP Code or Enrollment Status value on individual disbursement
records on the Disburse tab, you must first change and save the
corresponding value on the Origination tab; the new CIP Code or
Enrollment Status value is then used automatically when adding or
adjusting disbursement records on the Disburse tab.
The TEACH Grant External Data Add/Change record layout (TGED17OP)
includes the CIP Code and Enrollment Status fields. If you include
values for the CIP Code and Enrollment Status fields in your external
TEACH Grant Data file, the corresponding fields on the Origination tab
are updated, as well as the CIP Code and Enrollment Status fields
associated with each anticipated disbursement on the Disburse tab,
provided they are not batched for processing (Disbursement Status of B).
Actual Disbursement Adjustments
New for 2016-2017! As a result of changes implemented to the COD
System in October 2015, you can now adjust TEACH Grant actual
disbursement dates and amounts in the same disbursement sequence
number.
EDExpress 2016-2017, Release 2.0 includes enhancements that enable
you to adjust one or more TEACH Grant actual disbursement fields in
the same sequence number. You can make these adjustments manually
on the Disburse (TEACH Grant) tab, use TEACH Grant Multiple Entry,
or import an External TEACH Grant Data file (TGED17OP).
Use the latest version of the TEACH Grant External Data Add/Change record layout in Volume III, Section 3: Combination System Record Layouts to add or modify TEACH Grant records in EDExpress 2016-2017.
The CIP Code and Enrollment Status field values on the Origination (TEACH Grant) tab are required to prepare the origination record for export to the COD System.
TEACH Grant Appendix
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Agreement to Serve (ATS) Each year, the student must sign a TEACH Grant ATS electronically at
the teach-ats.ed.gov Web site. The ATS cannot be printed from
EDExpress. The TEACH Grant ATS specifies the terms and conditions
by which a recipient must abide.
When the student completes an ATS online, an ATS Response file
(CRAT17OP) is generated by the COD System and sent to the school’s
SAIG mailbox. ATS Responses indicate an accepted, rejected, or
pending status. To import ATS Responses, select File, Import from the
menu bar, then choose TEACH, COD Common Record Response.
When you import this response file, EDExpress updates the ATS
Information on the TEACH Grant origination record with the ATS ID
and ATS Status (Accepted, Rejected, or Pending).
When you import an ATS Response file (CRAT17OP) containing ATS data
for which there is no TEACH origination record in EDExpress, the
Import Records Edit Report indicates that there is no matching TEACH
origination. If the student is attending your school and you have verified
the student is eligible to receive a TEACH Grant, create an origination
record in EDExpress and submit it to the COD System. The ATS Status
in EDExpress updates to Accepted after you import the COD Response
file.
When you submit a TEACH Grant origination for which an accepted
ATS already exists in the COD System, the ATS status is returned in the
Origination Response file (CRAA17OP) indicating an accepted ATS is
already on file and updates the ATS Status in EDExpress to Accepted.
When a TEACH Grant origination is received in the COD System for
which no accepted ATS is on file, the ATS Status Rejected is returned in
the Origination Response (CRAA17OP). After the ATS for that student’s
TEACH Grant award is received in the COD System, the ATS Response
file (CRAT17OP) is created and returned to the school. When the school
imports the file into EDExpress, the ATS ID is updated and the ATS
Status is changed to Accepted.
Where to Get More Information
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Where to Get More Information EDExpress 2016-2017 Help System. For basic guidance and
information on using the EDExpress software, select Help, Help
Topics from the EDExpress menu bar. You can view the main list
of EDExpress Help topics by module on the Contents tab or scroll
through available Help topics on the Index tab.
The TEACH Grant page of the Student Aid on the Web site, located
at teachgrant.ed.gov.
The TEACH Agreement to Serve Web site, located at teach-
ats.ed.gov.
Electronic Announcements and Dear Colleague letters related to the
TEACH Grant. Go to the ifap.ed.gov Web site, and check the
Electronic Announcements and Dear Colleague Letters sections
under Letters & Announcements.
The 2016-2017 Common Origination and Disbursement (COD)
Technical Reference available in the Technical References and
Guides section of fsadownload.ed.gov.
If you need technical support for EDExpress, call CPS/SAIG
Technical Support at:
o (800) 330-5947
o (800) 511-5806 (TDD/TTY)
Technical support representatives are available 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET,
Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays. If you prefer,
you can e-mail inquiries to [email protected]. A technical support
specialist will respond to your e-mail as soon as possible.
For questions regarding TEACH Grant processing or questions
related to the Common Record layout, contact the COD School
Relations Center at:
o (800) 474-7268, for Grants
o (800) 848-0978, for Direct Loans.
You can also e-mail [email protected].
If you have other questions regarding the TEACH Grant, contact
Federal Student Aid’s Research and Customer Care Center (RCCC)
at (800) 433-7327 or (202) 275-5532 (fax). You can also e-mail the
RCCC at [email protected]. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
ET, Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays.